Private bus operators in the State are planning to ink a contract with a company based in Bengaluru to roll out 10,000 e-buses.
The first lot of buses, each of which is estimated to cost ₹85 lakh, are expected to roll out in December. The air-conditioned e-buses are expected to replace the ageing fleet of private buses in a phased manner, says T. Gopinathan, general secretary, All Kerala Bus Operators’ Organisation.
Even though their capital investment is over double that of diesel-run buses , bus operators have of late been showing preference for e-buses, since their per-km operational cost is estimated to be ₹6. The operational cost of conventional buses is between ₹25 and ₹30, most of which goes as the expense for diesel.
The demand for retrofitting CNG kits in conventional buses too is down, with the price of a kg of CNG also skyrocketing in the past year to over ₹80 a kg. A key reason for the depleting number of private buses, from 35,000 over a decade ago to approximately 10,000 now, has been the spiralling operational expenses, around 70% of which go as fuel bills.
The e-buses, which will be hypothecated to a bank suggested by the company, will take over the permits of the existing fleet of private buses. The operators will thus come to own the buses, while having to pay a fixed amount per km to the company. One of the conditions is that each e-bus ought to operate a minimum of 225 km a day. The bus operators body has held three rounds of discussions with the company, it is learnt.
Mr. Gopinathan says body-building of the e-buses, which will come with a German motor, is expected to be done at a plant in Pune. The company will train crew members in operating the vehicle . The buses are expected to have an operational range of 125 km after every recharge. The company will establish fast-charging stations at regular intervals, for both short and long-distance buses.
Welcoming the move, a senior MVD official says this is the need of the hour, considering that they do not cause air and sound pollution.
