Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Feb 23: Marking a new milestone for coastal transport, the Mangaluru’s first private electric bus is set to be operated on route No. 27 by Ganesh Prasad. EV buses are now being considered in the private transport sector as well, and more buses will be purchased if the pilot project proves successful.
Earlier, the central government had sanctioned a total of 750 new electric buses to the state under the Prime Minister e-Bus Seva scheme. This has posed a major challenge to the private transport system. In this backdrop, there were deliberations to introduce EV buses in private transport as well. Even before government EV buses begin operating in Mangaluru, a private EV bus is set to ply in the city.
To curb vehicular air pollution in the country, the central government has been emphasizing the use of electric buses nationwide, and the ministry of housing and urban affairs has sanctioned a total of 750 electric buses to the state. Out of these, 100 buses will be allotted to Mangaluru and will operate on various routes across the city. MESCOM and KPTCL have approved charging points for these buses at the Kuntikan KSRTC depot and the Bejai bus stand.
If everything proceeds as expected, electric bus operations are likely to begin in Mangaluru city within six months. Private bus owners have decided to operate EV buses on a trial basis, and if the trial proves successful, more EV buses will be purchased.
The country’s first transport bus system began in Mangaluru in 1914, when the Shankar Vittal institution started the first private bus service between Mangaluru and Bantwal. Now, Mangaluru is again set to become a model for the EV bus system, and EV bus operations are expected to begin in the city within a month. All necessary preparations for this have already commenced.
The EV bus is 9 metres long and has a seating capacity of 32–41 seats. It has a battery capacity to run up to 200 km and can be recharged in 2 hours. It is an air-conditioned bus and comes with a 5-year battery warranty. The body design of the bus is being carried out in Pune.