BMTC electric bus services 'restored' after outsourced crew withdraws strike

Bengaluru: Dozens of electric bus services operated by the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transportation Corporation (BMTC) were disrupted in the morning peak hours after outsourced driving staff went on a strike seeking higher overtime payments.

The vehicles — Tata Star EVs — have been leased from TML Smart Mobility Solutions, a subsidiary of Tata Motors under a 12-year contract. As per the lease agreement, the BMTC pays the company Rs 41 per kilometre. The company provides driving staff and takes care of maintenance. Each bus has to run a minimum of 200 kilometres per day.

While the BMTC has placed an order for 921 buses, it has received 246 buses so far.

As the BMTC prepared to start bus services on Tuesday morning, the driving staff of 113 electric buses attached to the Shanthinagar depot refused to report for work and staged a flash protest. They demanded higher overtime payments.

GT Prabhakar Reddi, Chief Traffic Manager (Operations), BMTC, said 27 bus services operated in different parts of the city were affected.

"We could not run these services between 7 am and 10 am. But the situation is under control now," he told DH.

Another BMTC official said the corporation had made all the payments to the company.

"There's no issue from our end," the official said and added that electric buses attached to other depots were unaffected.

The BMTC saves Rs 18/km by leasing the electric buses. It spends Rs 60/km on each e-bus (Rs 41 on lease, Rs 14 on conductor and Rs 5 on maintenance).

In contrast, the transporter spends Rs 78/km on a diesel bus and Rs 105/km on Volvo buses.

The BMTC has nearly 7,000 buses. Its electric fleet consists of 300 buses from Switch Mobility, 90 from JBM Auto Limited and 246 from TML Smart Mobility Solutions Limited.