CHITRADURGA: The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) will introduce electric buses on the long-distance routes in the state from April.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, the chairman of KSRTC M Chandrappa said the KSRTC has decided to operate 50 fully air-conditioned electric buses.
Hyderabad-based Evey Trans Pvt Ltd has received the work order under the second phase of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (FAME) scheme. Under the 12-year contract, Evey will operate the buses and will be paid Rs 55 per kilometer by the KSRTC, Chandrappa said.
Compared to the BMTC electric buses, the new one will be more powerful and luxurious. "We have decided to operate 15 buses to and from Davanagere via Chitradurga, 10 towards Shivamogga, 8 towards Mysuru, 7 towards Madikeri, and 5 will be operating on Chikkamagaluru and Virajpet routes," said Chandrappa.
"The 12-meter buses are environment-friendly and will be air-conditioned so that a commuter can have the feel of the ride. While the drivers will be from Evey Trans Pvt Ltd, the conductors will be from KSRTC," he added.
The state-owned public transport operator has been suffering losses due to the steep rise in the prices of diesel and other petroleum products. The plying of electric buses will give KSRTC the much-needed respite. Even though we are getting the first set of buses by April 2022, Evey will be supplying the buses in a phased manner and the order will be completed by 2023, he said.
The chairman also said that the maintenance of the buses will be undertaken by the Evey company as they possess the technical know-how.
Meanwhile, KSRTC officials are busy setting up the electric charging points for the buses at Davangere, Chitradurga, and other parts of the state. The preliminary survey of these facilities have been inspected and charging points will be set up at the bus stations shortly, said a technical official from KSRTC, Davangere.