THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Despite the initial hiccups, Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is sticking to its plan to reduce the dependence on diesel-run buses by announcing the procurement of 1,500 electric buses. Following the budget announcement in 2019, KSRTC has floated tenders for 250 buses to supplement its fleet in three zones.
Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi zones will get 100 buses each while Kozhikode zone will get 50 buses. KSRTC has called for single-axle 12 m non-AC buses for operating in the city area. As per the tender condition, the contractor bidder needs to guarantee that the battery-powered e-bus runs for 250 km in a single charge with a mileage of at least 1.5 kWh/km.
The tender is to wet lease e-buses for 10 years. KSRTC will provide a conductor while the contractor will have to meet the operating expenses. It is looking for a better lease agreement as the previous lease rate of Rs 43.20 per km has been found to be unsustainable.
“The attraction for operating the environment-friendly service is a Central Government subsidy of up to Rs 50 lakh for an electric bus,” said KSRTC chairman and managing director M P Dinesh. KSRTC is eyeing the Rs 4,500-crore subsidy under the Central Government’s FAME-2 (Faster Adoption & Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles). The launch itself created a less than favourable opinion about e-buses as the maiden trip stopped mid-way due to lack of power at Cherthala. This made KSRTC use e-buses for short-distance trips where charging points are readily available. The e-buses were also used to transport Sabarimala pilgrims between Nilackal and Pampa.
The e-bus initiative is part of the state’s commitment to roll out one million electric vehicles on the road by 2022.
Criticism
Trade unions in the transport sector have come up against the introduction of e-buses without proper study. According to them, such buses are not suitable to the state. “E-bus is still an utopian idea when we do not have enough infrastructure to support it,” said general secretary of Kerala State Road Transport Employees Association (KSRTEA) M G Rahul. According to him, e-buses do not have enough power to operate in high ranges and is not suitable for long-distance journeys. At present, KSRTC has four charging stations at Pappanamcode, Aluva, Haripad and Ernakulam depots. It costs at least `22 lakh to set up a charging facility.