Passengers of Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) will be able to hop on to electric buses (e-buses) soon. After the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) introduced e-buses in the city, KSRTC will follow suit and operate them on popular routes such as Bengaluru-Mysuru, Bengaluru–Madikeri, Bengaluru-Chikkamagaluru, and Bengaluru-Davangere.
Under the Central scheme, the corporation is operating 50 buses on lease basis and expects the first prototype in two months
The KSRTC, which had shifted depots from Majestic 10 years ago to facilitate construction of the integrated metro station, will shortly open a depot for operating e-buses. Majestic will have infrastructure that include charging points to run e–buses.
Anbu Kumar, Managing Director, KSRTC, said: “After receiving the prototype, we will do the necessary testing. Once we get the green signal, the operator is expected to supply buses in the next two months.”
To operate the buses, KSRTC will give ₹55 per km to the operator that includes electricity cost. The operator has to bear the cost - including driver cost and maintenance of the bus. “We had selected routes to make operations financially viable for the corporation. With a single charge, an e-bus will run for a distance of 250 km. Most of the routes identified are within 250km. ‘Opportunity charging’ will enable buses to run for up to 450 km. We are on the job of providing the required infrastructure to run e-buses,” a source said.
The BMTC is running e-buses under the Smart City project, but of the 90 buses, only 50 are operational. as delay in building charging points has affected utilisation of the entire fleet size.
Asked about why Majestic has been chosen to establish a depot for e-buses, the official said: “Majestic is located in the heart of the city. Having charging infrastructure helps us to avoid dead km. At present, buses are coming from other depots to Majestic and traffic is a major challenge. We have got enough land at Majestic to open a depot for the e-buses. Other than Majestic, we will have charging points in the locations where buses are operated that include Mysuru, Shivamogga, Davangere and others.”
In 2011-12, KSRTC provided over 14 acres of land to the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited to construct an integrated metro station. The KSRTC had shifted several depots in Majestic to Shantinagar and Mysuru Road for metro works. After completion of the construction work in phases, KSRTC received back over seven acres of land.
