BENGALURU: With Mumbai’s BEST planning to procure 900 AC electric double-decker buses on lease, chorus for such vehicles in Bengaluru is also getting louder.
Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL), a subsidiary of Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), recently floated a tender to induct 135 double-decker electric buses (9.5m) in five cities under ‘Grand Challenge’. Of the 135, 100 have been allocated to Delhi, 25 to Surat and five each to Bengaluru and Hyderabad. However, state-run Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has adopted a wait-and-watch policy.
“Five double-decker e-buses have been allocated to Bengaluru. But we will have to study the operational and maintenance costs, feasible routes and other factors to run such buses here. We are not in a financial position to experiment now. So we are not in a hurry to induct double-decker buses since the existing fleet has no demand after Covid-19,” said a senior BMTC official.
“Even if the plan materialises, we will be able to run these buses only on Outer Ring Road since it is wider and has less trees. It’s not feasible to operate them on narrow roads and those with flyovers, overhead power lines, telecom cables and tree branches. In fact, ORR also has many underpasses, so we need to conduct a thorough study before inducting these buses,” he added.
Double-decker buses were a common sight on Bengaluru roads in the 1970s and 80s, but were phased out in 1997. The lone such bus that remained in the BMTC fleet was used for city tours till 2014. In the 1980s, a double-decker bus ferrying schoolchildren tilted near Ramakrishna Mission in south Bengaluru. This dented the image of such buses among the public.
In 2009, BMTC planned to buy one or two double-decker buses but didn’t succeed. In 2017, its administrative board approved a proposal to buy five such buses for sightseeing services on lease basis but the corporation couldn’t get a manufacturer.
Another BMTC official said: “It’s not clear whether any electric double-decker bus manufacturers are available in India. We will take a decision based on Mumbai’s project”.
Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation procured six diesel double-decker buses, whose body has been built by Bengaluru-based KMS Coach Builders, with a seating capacity of 40 each. These buses are operational in Mysuru for sightseeing purposes since March 2021. However, KSTDC is unable to extend the service to places like Hampi and Bengaluru due to overhead cables and other obstacles.
