The Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has received the first set of non-AC electric buses from Tata Motors, a commercial vehicle manufacturer, which are likely to be operational soon.
“The BMTC received a few buses out of the 921 non-AC electric buses from Tata Motors recently at the Shanthinagar depot. The electric buses are leased under the FAME-2 scheme,” a BMTC official told The Hindu.
The BMTC decided to add more buses after witnessing a resurgence in daily ridership after implementation of the Shakti scheme, which offers free bus travel for women in non-premium buses.
In August 2022, Tata Motors had won an order of 921 electric buses from BMTC. Under the tender by Convergence Energy Services Ltd. (CESL), Tata Motors will supply, operate, and maintain the 12-metre electric buses for a period of 12 years, as per the contract.
In July this year, BMTC received the first prototype of the 12-meter-long Tata non-AC electric bus, featuring a low-floor design and seating capacity for 25 passengers. The bus was deployed on the 96-A route.
“All the 921 electric buses will be inducted to the BMTC’s fleet in a phased manner. Already, we have planned allocation of these buses to various depots and the work on the charging stations and other infrastructure to run these buses are going on,” a BMTC official added.
As per the agreement, BMTC will deploy conductors and compensate Tata Motors at a rate of ₹41 per km. The buses are expected to cover approximately 200 km each day. Tata Motors will be responsible for providing drivers and managing maintenance tasks.
