Bengaluru, Jul 5 (DHNS): The KSRTC on Monday introduced the country’s first biobus which runs on 100% biodiesel. Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy flagged off the biobus, which operates between Bengaluru and Chennai.

Buoyed by the positive response it received in the pilot project in 2015, during which the KSRTC ran 10 biobuses on 20% biodiesel and 80% regular diesel, the transport utility decided to introduce a biobus which runs completely on biodiesel.

In an effort to reduce emissions and release of greenhouse gases by state-owned buses and to enhance revenue to the state exchequer, the transport utility is keen to run more buses on biodiesel. A litre of biodiesel is cheaper by Rs 5 than regular diesel.

The four state-run transport corporations - KSRTC, BMTC, NEKRTC and NWKRTC consume close to 5.43 lakh kilolitres of diesel a year. KSRTC alone consumes around 2.1 lakh kilolitres.

The KSRTC also launched digital breath analysers to test for drunken driving by its drivers. The drivers have to mandatorily undergo breath-analyser test at the depots before the buses are handed over to them.