BMTC now has 1,027 e-buses; to add 760 by next year

Bengaluru: In a significant milestone, the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation's electric bus fleet has crossed the 1,000 mark and is slated to reach nearly 2,000 by 2025. 

Of the 6,158 buses in the BMTC's fleet, 1,027 are now electric. Of these, 637 e-buses have been manufactured by Tata Motors subsidiary TML Smart City Mobility Solutions Limited at its Dharwad plant. These 12-metre-long buses have been introduced under the union government's FAME-II Scheme. 

The BMTC has received another 120 of these buses and is in the process of getting the necessary clearances to induct them. All the remaining 284 e-buses will be gradually introduced into service by the end of November, according to the BMTC. 

Under the FAME-II Scheme, the BMTC also operates 300 12-metre-long e-buses manufactured by Ashok Leyland subsidiary Switch Mobility. In addition, it operates 90 nine-metre-long e-buses, manufactured by JBM Group, under the Smart Cities Mission. 

All e-buses in the BMTC fleet are non-air-conditioned and procured on a Gross Cost Contract (GCC), where the manufacturer is responsible for providing the driving crew and maintenance. 

The BMTC emphasised that it was introducing e-buses to reduce air pollution and provide better and more efficient public transport. By operating 1,000 buses, it saved 51,000 litres of diesel and prevented the release of 1.38 lakh kg of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions daily, it pointed out. 

The e-buses do not emit harmful gases or smoke into the air, significantly reducing the emission levels of pollutants like Sulphur Oxide (SOx), Nitrogen Monoxide (NOx), Hydrocarbon (HC) and Particulate Matter (PM). They also produce much less noise compared to traditional diesel vehicles, according to the BMTC. 

Expansion plan

The transporter plans to add 760 more e-buses to its fleet in the near future. These include 320 AC and 148 non-AC 12-metre-long buses that will be procured with funds from the Department of Urban Land Transport (DULT) under the Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment 2023-24. 

The 320 AC buses will replace the BMTC's ageing Volvo fleet, which currently consists of 520 buses. 

While the BMTC's daily ridership has surged from 27.4 lakh to 40 lakh since last year, the fleet has decreased from 6,888 to 6,158. On average, the BMTC operates 5,725 buses and 59,709 trips daily covering 11.73 lakh kilometres.