BENGALURU: The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has floated tenders for 90 electric metro feeder buses in the city. The e-mini buses are in addition to the 1,500 electric buses, which are expected to come in this year. However, these mini buses will be used as metro feeder buses in an attempt to cover last-mile connectivity.
The mini bus will be nine metres long and the successful bidder has to set up the charging infrastructure, provide drivers, and maintain the buses. The bidding process may take two months. The contractor is then expected to supply the prototype in three months and provide 40 mini e-buses in the following three months, which will be a part of Phase 1.
The funding is done by Bangalore Smart City Limited which will cover Rs 50 crore. The rest will be covered by the BMTC via opex model. “The buses will not only operate at metro stations but also adjoining areas for last-mile connectivity,” BMTC managing director C Shikha told TNIE.
The routes through which these buses will move have been shortlisted. The BMTC has been receiving several requests for feeder buses for quite some time now.
A senior BMTC official had earlier told TNIE that since metro stations have plenty of space in front of them in regard to the footpath, officials are looking at creating spaces for the buses to enter to avoid traffic jams on the road. “On this, particular areas have been identified for phase 1,” Shikha added.