KOCHI: It seems days of KSRTC’s fossil fuel-powered buses in Kochi are numbered as the corporation is planning to operate 500 electric buses in the city soon. Last month, the KSRTC had invited tender for hiring 1,500 electric buses across the state, of which 500 will be provided to the Ernakulam zone.
According to KSRTC officials, the initial proposal is to operate the buses on city routes. Some of the buses will be used to connect Kochi and other satellite cities.
“Tender has been invited for hiring 500 non-AC electric buses of 12-m length on wet lease and dry lease. The plan is to operate 500 electric buses each in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Kozhikode zones. We are focussing on enhancing city services. The buses will have specifications suited to urban passengers,” an official said.
The KSRTC will deploy driver and conductor in the electric buses. KSRTC is looking for buses with 40 seats and a high backrest. The overall length of the bus should be 12 m. The travel range of the bus will be around 250 km. The bus provider should set up one charging unit for every two buses on lease basis. The power consumption will be lower than 1.5 kwh per kilometre.
“With a range of 250 km, the buses can be operated on city routes by charging once in two days. As the buses are not air-conditioned, they can be operated by charging normal fare from the passengers,” an official said.
Passengers will get WiFi connectivity free of cost in the bus. KSRTC has also demanded GPS facility on the vehicles. Similarly, the bus should have luggage space and mobile charging points. The bus should also have three LED display boards on the front, rear and left sides.
Currently, KSRTC is operating 10 air-conditioned electric buses from Ernakulam. The buses from Ernakulam are conducting service to Thiruvananthapuram.
“Initially there were some hiccups related to the electric buses. However, the revenue generation from electric buses has improved. Issues related to charging points have been sorted out and buses are operating on a daily basis now,” V M Thajudeen Sahib, Zonal Traffic Officer, Ernakulam, said.