BMTC buses now more eco-friendly

BMTC buses now more eco-friendly, claims transport secy

BMTC buses are not emitting noxious fumes anymore, he says.

Deccan Herald

Sometime back, the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) had put forward a sort of challenge to the public: those who spotted any BMTC bus emitting smoke could call in and collect a cash prize. What appears to be a lucrative offer apparently had surprisingly few takers – no one, it seems, called in.

Mr B L Sridhar, principal secretary for transport, the government of Karnataka, says that the reason for this is simply that BMTC buses are not emitting noxious fumes any more. With their compliancy with Bharat II emission norms (only the new ones, of course) the buses are more eco-friendly than ever before.

Mr Sridhar was speaking at a workshop titled ‘Towards air-pollution free Bangalore roads’ held at the Brigittine Welfare Centre in Bangalore on Monday.

He remarked that the Ring Road bus service, which looked worryingly unviable at first, was fast picking up, and would take a lot of pressure off the City’s roads. He also said that a plan to fit global positioning systems and electronic ticketing on many buses was in the pipeline.

Meanwhile, an electric scooter was also on display at the venue, the parts of which are manufactured by Ekovehicles Private Limited in China before being brought to India to be assembled.

The vehicle will soon hit the roads. It comes at a cost of around Rs 25,000, and can go up to 40 kmph. The battery, which is to be charged overnight, can cover a distance of 50 km for each charge.