Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy flags off AC e-buses from the airport on Thursday.
Credit: DH photo
Bengaluru: The Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has started running air-conditioned electric buses to and from the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA).
Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy flagged off 10 such buses at the BMTC bus lounge in Terminal 2 on Thursday.
Eight of them are running on the KIA-14 route, connecting the airport to Royal Meenakshi Mall (Bannerghatta Road) via Vega City Mall, Jayadeva hospital, Dairy Circle and Shanthinagar TTMC, a senior BMTC official said.
By October 1, BMTC plans to operate 85 AC e-buses on 11 airport routes (see box).
They are part of a 320-bus order being leased from OHM Global Mobility Solution Ltd for Rs 65.8 per km, inclusive of driver costs.
The BMTC already runs 177 AC e-buses on Vajra (non-airport premium) routes and will add 58 more by October 1, said G T Prabhakara Reddy, Chief Traffic Manager (Operations), BMTC).
In the coming days, 30 AC e-buses will be launched from Depot 7 (Majestic), where charging infrastructure is ready and bus crew are being deployed, he added.
The corporation, which runs 1,646 e-buses, is inducting the AC e-buses to replace its ageing Volvo fleet, which currently stands at 434.
“The 177 buses on Vajra routes are running satisfactorily, so we decided to introduce them on airport routes, too,” Reddy told DH.
To operate the e-buses, BMTC has set up opportunity charging facilities near the airport, with nine chargers with a total capacity of 240 kW installed at P7 parking.
The BMTC invested Rs 1.5 crore in the facility while Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) provided space for free.
The 12-metre, low-floor (400 mm) buses are equipped with 283 kWh batteries and can run up to 225 km per day. They run 150 km on a single full charge and 75 km with opportunity charging, which takes 45-60 minutes.
Opportunity charging is also available at Silk Board, Kadugodi Bus Stand and Majestic. Reddy said the issue of crew shortage had been addressed.
The BMTC runs 156 Vayu Vajra (Volvo) buses along 22 routes, serving 14,000 passengers daily on average.