Though the remarks of newly-assumed Transport Minister K.B. Ganesh Kumar over replacing the electric buses with fossil-fuel-powered buses courted controversy, the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is unlikely to go ahead with the plan as the e-buses were introduced as part of the green city project of the State government.
Speaking to The Hindu, a senior officer said electric buses are under the platform of KSRTC-SWIFT, the newly formed legal entity to run long-distance buses and newly procured electric buses. Further, the election manifesto of the Left government promised green city initiatives as well as the need to strengthen KSRTC-SWIFT.
The minister’s remarks contradicted the proclaimed stance of the Left government on this issue. Moreover, terming electric buses as a loss-making enterprise is not a realistic statement on many counts, although many areas have to be improved in the project. said the senior officer. “Route rationalisation and rescheduling of some of the services might be imperative considering the performance of city circular services. But this doesn’t mean that the project has to be scrapped,” said the senior officer.
At present, there are 113 electric buses under the Corporation, and an order for another 45 was placed earlier, which will soon join the fleet of the KSRTC. Considering the performance of diesel-powered buses pressed in service on inter-state and inter-district routes, the profit margin of electric buses might be less, but the e-bus has more goals than fossil-fuel-powered buses. Further, the e-buses have together netted a profit of around ₹2.8 crore in the last six months, according to the KSRTC.
The only issue is that after five years, the KSRTC may have to spend a huge amount to replace the battery unit. Since the buses were introduced as part of a policy decision, they can also be addressed at government-level, said the sources.
