HYDERABAD: In one of the major changes in public transportation in Hyderabad, Telangana State Road Transportation (TSRTC) is planning to replace all diesel-run buses across the city with electric buses.
Accordingly, the corporation is gearing up to deploy 500 electric buses in five depots of the Greater Hyderabad Zone on a pilot basis.
These include 120 city e-ordinary buses, over 300 e-Metro express services, and 50 electric AC buses on the Airport route and IT corridor. Charging stations will be established in the respective depots. These buses will be operated on non-metro routes such as Lingampally, Patancheru and Mehdipatnam where the commuter rush is high. Moreover, the fares of electric buses are likely to be on par with metro trains.
By the end of this financial year, TSRTC is aiming to introduce 1,300 electric buses in a phased manner. Plans are also on to introduce over 3,000 electric buses by 2025, thereby replacing all existing diesel and CNG buses with e-buses. The corporation aims to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels and also improve revenue as a lot of diesel is consumed during peak traffic hours in the city.
According to officials, TSRTC has already allotted tenders for e-buses to Olectra, Ashok Leyland and JBM. Slated to be brought on roads soon, these e-buses will have a 12-meter low-floor electronically controlled air suspension with a seating capacity of 35 passengers.
They would also be equipped with CCTV cameras to ensure the safety of commuters, apart from an emergency button, USB sockets for each seat and a vehicle tracking system. The e-buses can run up to 225 km on a single charge. Meanwhile, the corporation is set to introduce 25 AC electric buses in September and another 25 in October, which would be operated in the IT corridor.