<p>The BMTC’s effort to induct 90 medium-sized (midi) electric buses has been stalling due to delays in setting up the charging infrastructure.</p>.<p>Going by their initial plan, Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) should have deployed a major portion of the 90 electric buses by December end. They bought the buses with funding from the Bengaluru Smart City Limited.</p>.<p>Officials had identified three depots — Kengeri, KR Puram, and Yeshwantpur — as well as the routes recognised to aid the optimum utilisation of the buses. But they could run only 30 buses as lack of charging infrastructure delayed the deployment. The buses have been kept on standby at the Kengeri depot.</p>.<p>A senior official said the 30 charging points at Yeshwantpur will be ready within a week, but the ones at KR Puram may take more than two weeks. He said the BMTC hopes to run all the buses in March.</p>.<p>While the BMTC spends Rs 65 per kilometre on an electric bus against Rs 60 on a diesel vehicle, it earns Rs 30 per kilometre. “Over the next few years, we believe expenditure on diesel buses will escalate. Electric buses will prove to be beneficial once our ridership goes up,” the official said.</p>.<p><strong>Watch the latest DH Videos here:</strong></p>
<p>The BMTC’s effort to induct 90 medium-sized (midi) electric buses has been stalling due to delays in setting up the charging infrastructure.</p>.<p>Going by their initial plan, Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) should have deployed a major portion of the 90 electric buses by December end. They bought the buses with funding from the Bengaluru Smart City Limited.</p>.<p>Officials had identified three depots — Kengeri, KR Puram, and Yeshwantpur — as well as the routes recognised to aid the optimum utilisation of the buses. But they could run only 30 buses as lack of charging infrastructure delayed the deployment. The buses have been kept on standby at the Kengeri depot.</p>.<p>A senior official said the 30 charging points at Yeshwantpur will be ready within a week, but the ones at KR Puram may take more than two weeks. He said the BMTC hopes to run all the buses in March.</p>.<p>While the BMTC spends Rs 65 per kilometre on an electric bus against Rs 60 on a diesel vehicle, it earns Rs 30 per kilometre. “Over the next few years, we believe expenditure on diesel buses will escalate. Electric buses will prove to be beneficial once our ridership goes up,” the official said.</p>.<p><strong>Watch the latest DH Videos here:</strong></p>
