Electric buses likely to be introduced in Karnataka

Electric buses likely to be introduced in Karnataka
The Hindu

Mysore first in line, followed by Bangalore and Mangalore

BANGALORE: The State Government's ambitious plan to introduce electric trolley buses for operation, initially in Mysore, is expected to have the support of the Union Government. The Centre has told States to introduce electric buses for public transport in an effort to reduce air and noise pollution in all the major cities of the country. The State is expected to be first in the country to have electric trolley buses for public transport and, according to the Government plan, the new buses will cover a 65-km route length encompassing all the arterial roads in Mysore. Based on the feedback, similar buses will be introduced in Bangalore and Mangalore.

The introduction of the buses has been described by Minister for Transport N. Cheluvarayaswamy as a "Suvarna Karnataka gift" to the people of the State.

The detailed project report being prepared by the Infrastructure Development Corporation, Karnataka, and Rail India Technical and Economic Services is in the final stages. It will be submitted to the Government shortly. As per a tentative plan, the State Government is expected to call for global tenders to supply the electric buses and also commission them, as electric cables have to be laid all along the route to power the buses.

Mr. Cheluvarayaswamy told The Hindu that the State Government would submit the proposal to the Union Government for clearance.

Most of the funding for the electric bus project is expected from the Union Government. Mr. Cheluvarayaswamy said the air-conditioned electric buses were similar to the existing hi-tech buses being run by the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation and the KSRTC. They could carry 80 to 100 passengers. The buses were noiseless and vibration- and pollution-free compared to diesel-powered ones. The cost of tickets for the electric buses would be around the same as that for the Volvo buses in operation in Bangalore.