The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has plans to operate new electric buses (e-buses) on the Outer Ring Road (ORR) and several long-distance routes connecting Majestic. Under the Central scheme, the BMTC will be operating 300 non-AC buses. BMTC officials said the buses will starting arriving in two months.
Buses are likely to be operated on routes such as Hebbal to Silk Board, Banashankari to Yelahanka, Banashankari to Attibele, KBS to Attibele, and Majestic to Bidadi.
“The company has informed us that all the buses will be supplied by October. We have already identified the routes for operating these buses. The reason is that the new buses are 12 metres long and the carrying capacity is higher. To make operation financially viable, we have to run the buses on long routes such as ORR and others,” said Surya Sen. A V, director of BMTC.
The official said that the company operating the buses is in the process of setting up required infrastructure at depots in Attibele, Bidadi, and Yelahanka. In addition to this, charging points will come up at places such as Kengeri, Majestic, and Silk Board.
Last December, the BMTC had started running e-buses for the first time under the Bengaluru Smart City project. Though the corporation had received all the 90 buses under the project, the entire fleet size could not be utilised due to delay in building charging points and other infrastructure. The BMTC had identified three depots to run buses at Kengeri, Yeshwantpur, and K.R. Puram. Currently, buses are running from Kengeri and Yeshwantpur. Out of 90, around 50 buses are operational.
In the future, under the Grand Challenge Plan of the Central Government, the BMTC will induct 1,500 e-buses. The BMTC has also approached the State Government seeking financial assistance to shift to e-mobility in large scale using the Central subsidy. Last year, the BMTC had floated a tender for leasing 1,500 buses on lease basis. However, after the announcement on Grand Challenge, the BMTC had shelved the plan of operating diesel buses.
