Credit: Special Arrangement
Bengaluru: Starting in May, passengers travelling to and from the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) will be able to ride in electric air-conditioned (AC) buses.
The Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) is in the advanced stages of establishing a charging facility inside the airport premises.
Located in the parking lot about one kilometre from Terminal 2, this facility will accommodate up to three buses for opportunity charging at a time.
Opportunity charging refers to charging batteries in short intervals throughout the day and takes up to 45 minutes.
So far, the BMTC has received 58 AC e-buses from Ohm Mobility Private Limited, a subsidiary of Ashok Leyland, as part of a 320-vehicle order.
The corporation is leasing these buses under a Gross Cost Contract (GCC) using Rs 150 crore in special funds released by the state government. More buses are expected to arrive in the coming weeks, and a formal induction ceremony will follow.
Under the contract, the manufacturer has to provide daily assured kilometres of 225 km for 350 days annually over 12 years. Each bus can travel up to 200 km on a full charge, which takes 60-70 minutes.
The manufacturer is also responsible for bus maintenance and driver deployment.
The 58 e-buses have been assigned to depot number 18 (ITPL) and operate from the Kadugodi Bus Station to Banashankari, Majestic and Central Silk Board, and from Hoskote to Attibele.
The BMTC has also identified three other depots — Subhashnagar (7), Kathriguppe (13), and HSR Layout (25) — where these e-buses will be assigned for full-fledged charging.
According to GT Prabhakara Reddy, Chief Traffic Manager (Operations), BMTC, while the AC e-buses had performed reasonably well, there are also technical issues, such as abrupt braking, acceleration and declaration. The manufacturer is also taking longer than expected to onboard drivers, resulting in delayed deployment of buses, he added.
The BMTC is adding AC e-buses to its fleet to replace its aging and costly Volvo fleet.
The corporation, which once had 560 Volvo buses, is now left with only 450, including 308 Vajra and 142 Vayu Vajra buses, said a senior official in charge of the Volvo division.
The official confirmed that AC e-buses would start running on the airport route within a month and eventually replace the Volvo fleet.
Vayu Vajra (airport) buses cost Rs 84 per km to operate, but earn only Rs 72.33 per km. Vajra buses, which serve tech corridors and other premium routes, cost over Rs 90 per km, but bring in only Rs 50.81 km.
In contrast, the BMTC pays only Rs 65.8 per km for the AC e-bus and spends another Rs 14-15 per km on conductor wages.
The BMTC has a total of 6,875 buses, including 1,369 electric vehicles, according a third official.