JOIN USDays after launching the country’s first electric bus, the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has floated global tenders for procuring hybrid buses.
An official of the Corporation said that 50 hybrid buses were sanctioned to City under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM) and the BMTC had been waiting for the Union government to guide them through the process of floating global tenders. With the tenders now being invited, it may take another four to five months for the buses to finally roll out, said the official.
“The hybrid buses run 70 per cent on diesel and 30 per cent on battery. The battery gets charged while the engine is running on diesel. Once the battery gets fully charged, the bus automatically goes on to the battery mode from diesel mode and vice-versa. Many companies nowadays are manufacturing hybrid buses which are best suited for the Indian roads,” the official said.
The diesel hybrid buses are well known for fuel efficiency and less smoke. Bangalore will be the first city to commercially operate diesel hybrid buses, which are air conditioned. Statistics from European countries where these buses have been plying, show that hybrid buses cut fuel costs by 30 per cent. They are environment-friendly with significantly low emissions. The hybrid buses cost between Rs 1.2 and Rs 1.3 crore.Not materialised
In fact, the idea was first mooted two years ago and at that time, the Corporation had even zeroed in on Volvo diesel hybrid buses which were just launched at the Auto Expo 2012. However, the idea could not materialise due to the technicalities involved. R Ashoka, the then transport minister had even finalised the 105-seat single bus for a two-month trial run.
The BMTC, with 6,700-strong fleet of buses, is one of the first state transport undertakings (STUs) mooting and implementing green ideas for reducing the air emissions. The corporation has been hailed as one of the most efficient public transport corporations in the country.