Transport Minister, Ramalinga Reddy flagged off first electric bus prototype

Over 921 such electric buses will be inducted into BMTC’s bus fleet

These 35-seater buses will be run at an operating cost of Rs 41.01 per km

BMTC to become a smarter, safer and greener public transportation for people of Bengaluru with BMTC moving on to induct advanced electric buses into its fleet.

Karnataka Transport Minister, Ramalinga Reddy flagged off the first electric bus prototype at Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) head office in the city on July 28. Over 921 such electric buses will be inducted into BMTC’s bus fleet this year.

Dr N. V. Prasad, Secretary to Government, Transport Department, Ms. G Sathyavathi, Managing Director of BMTC and other officials were present at the flagging off event.

These electric buses will be operated under the FAME II Scheme of the Government of India  on a gross cost contract (GCC) model. Under this model, the manufacturer of these buses will take care of recruiting drivers and maintenance.

These electric buses are manufactured by TML Smart Mobility City Solutions Ltd, which is a fully owned subsidiary of Tata Motors.

These 35-seater, low-floor electric buses will be run at an operating cost of Rs 41.01 per kilo meter. 10 BMTC bus depots including the depots at Shantinagar, Hennur, Jigani and KR Puram have been identified to operate these buses in the city.

TML Smart Mobility City Solutions Ltd will maintain and operate over 921 buses for 12 years. These buses are 12-meter long with state-of-art facilities and best-in-class features for eco-friendly and comfortable travel in these buses.

After flagging off the bus, Reddy highlighted the need to increase the bus fleet across the state owing to rising demand for BMTC buses and other state transport buses with the success of the Shakti Scheme.