India Gets Its First AC Double Decker E-Bus in Mumbai, Inducted in BEST Fleet

After a delay of a number of months, the primary air-conditioned double-decker electrical bus within the nation was inducted into the fleet of BEST — the civic transport public physique in Mumbai, on Monday, officers mentioned.

The wet-leased e-bus might be registered on the Regional Transport Workplace earlier than it hits the highway for the general public. This bus is more likely to ply on the routes in suburbs the place typical double-decker buses that run on diesel are at present operated.

Lokesh Chandra, common supervisor of the Brihanmumbai Electrical energy Provide and Transport (BEST) Enterprise, mentioned they’re scheduled to obtain 4-5 extra double-decker air-conditioned e-buses within the subsequent 8-10 days and a complete of 20 such buses earlier than March-end from Swap Mobility, a subsidiary of vehicle manufacture Ashok Leyland. The variety of the double-decker e-buses will attain 200 by this year-end, he added.

“As we speak is a historic second. Mumbai’s iconic double-decker bus is being launched in public service in a brand new electrical double-decker kind. Very quickly this bus might be devoted to the general public,” Chandra mentioned, including these buses might be operated on the standard double-decker bus routes in south Mumbai and metropolis suburbs.

Not like the traditional double-decker variations, the brand new e-bus has two doorways and an equal variety of staircases for accessing higher decks. The brand new buses might be geared up with amenities like digital ticketing, CCTV cameras, dwell monitoring, digital show, and a panic button for emergencies, amongst others.

The fare of those buses would be the similar which is relevant for single-decker AC buses.

In accordance with BEST, the double-decker e-buses’ passenger carrying capability is nearly double in comparison with their single-decker counterparts. The brand new buses have a seating capability of 65 and together with standing passengers, they’ll carry 90 to 100 passengers.

The prototype air-conditioned e-bus of the county was unveiled on August 17, 2022, by Union minister Nitin Gadakari in Mumbai when BEST introduced to introduce double-decker e-bus in public service from October 2022 after finishing the certification and registration course of.

Swap Mobility executives mentioned the certification was delayed primarily as a result of revised certification strategy of the Centre.

Because the certificates was acquired from the Automotive Analysis Affiliation of India (ARAI), line manufacturing of the double-decker e-buses might be undertaken at a workshop in Patalganga within the Raigad district of Maharashtra.

At present, BEST operates lower than 50 double-decker buses, together with just a few open-deck buses, that function on diesel. Most of those buses are on the verge of the top of their Codal life (regular common lifetime of machine/tools as per working shift). Subsequently, BEST has determined to introduce the double-decker e-buses on a moist lease whereby the upkeep of automobiles and the driving force bills are borne by non-public operators.

Chandra mentioned the BEST at present has 3,300 buses, together with 400 single-decker e-buses, which transport round 34 lakh passengers every day. The BEST has deliberate so as to add 3,000 extra e-buses together with 900 double-decker e-buses in its fleet and awarded contracts.