In a first, BEST to have gearless buses, will initially begin operations in South Mumbai
Mumbaikars can soon travel in environment-friendly zero-emission noiseless electric buses. The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) plans to start services for its first four electric buses that will have routes in south Mumbai. These single decker buses will ferry passengers on ring routes from Churchgate, Backbay, CSMT, and NCPA starting November 11. The remaining two electric buses will join the fleet before December end.
The bus routes will primarily be for office-goers in south Mumbai. The buses will be parked at Backbay depot where six charging stations have been installed. These charging stations will have a capacity to charge 10 buses in one go. This will be the first time that the BEST buses will be gearless and it would run on auto-transmission. The cost of these buses is Rs 1.65 crore each, unlike a regular single decker bus that costs Rs 60-65 lakh.
"Initially, we will operate these electric buses in south Mumbai. These shall not only be environment-friendly but we will also cut down on operational and maintenance cost by at least 50-60 per cent. We want to convert the entire fleet to electric buses but for that, the manufacturing cost should be brought down," said Surendra Bagde, General Manager, BEST Undertaking.
This bus has a lithium-ion battery capacity of 160 Kwh that can run 200 km with a single charge. The battery can be charged fully within three-and-half hours. The batteries are on the rear end of the bus along with the charging unit. The BEST officials said that in the long run, a fleet of electric buses is more economical as fuel cost is barely Rs 8 per km which for a CNG bus is Rs 15 per km and diesel bus is Rs 20 per km.
"Union Cabinet minister Anant Geete has promised to provide Rs 20 crore more for procuring electric buses in future," said Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar.
These six electric buses are being funded by the BMC who gave Rs 10 crore for the same. The floor height is 650mm keeping the needs of the physically challenged in mind. The E-buses will also have six mobile charging points.
Going green
- The electric buses will be parked at Backbay depot
- The depot has six charging stations installed
- These charging stations can charge 10 buses in one go
- The cost of these buses is Rs 1.65 crore each, unlike a regular single decker bus that costs Rs 60-65 lakh
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