The BMTC’s effort to induct 90 medium-sized (midi) electric buses has been stalling due to delays in setting up the charging infrastructure. As of now only 30 Buses have been deployed.
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These buses majorly need charging infrastructure to function smoothly but the plan has not worked. According to the plan more than 50% buses were to be introduced by the end of December of 2021 but have not worked. They bought the buses with funding from the Bengaluru Smart City Limited.
Officials had identified three depots — Kengeri, KR Puram, and Yeshwantpur — as well as the routes recognised to aid the optimum utilization of the buses. The uses currently stand at the Kengeri spot.
By 2022, they plan to bring the full fleet according to the BMTC. While the BMTC spends Rs 65 per kilometre on an electric bus against Rs 60 on a diesel vehicle, it earns Rs 30 per kilometre. “Over the next few years, we believe expenditure on diesel buses will escalate. Electric buses will prove to be beneficial once our ridership goes up.
