Mumbai: India's first AC double decker electric bus, which was recently inducted into the fleet of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) fleet of buses is being flagged off on Tuesday for regular operations, officials said. The country's first double decker electric AC bus named Switch EiV 22 was delivered to BEST by Switch Mobility Ltd on February 13.
EV double decker route- After getting clearance from RTO, the bus was being flagged off for passenger service from today, officials said. It is learnt that the double decker bus will run from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus to NCPA from Monday to Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, the bus will be run as part of heritage tourism.
Timings- The first and last bus will depart from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus at 8.45 am and 4 pm and at 12.20 pm and 7.40 pm, respectively. Similarly, the first bus from NCPA will leave at 9.02 am and 4.20 pm and the last bus will leave at 12.40 pm and 8 pm.
Bus fare- Passengers will be able to travel from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus to NCPA for Rs 6. The new BEST fleet of buses was inaugurated last year by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The actual operations were delayed due to a manufacturing fault.
Also read: The Delhi Cabinet approved a proposal to add 1,000 low-floor AC electric buses
First for domestic passenger- This Switch EiV 22 double decker bus is the first such bus to be run for domestic passengers in the country. The bus designed and manufactured in India has a seating capacity of 54 passengers besides the driver. The electric bus boasts of running 250 km on a single charge of 1.5 to 3 hours.
The bus has been inducted into the BEST fleet as part of a proposal to induct 900 such electric buses in a bid towards ecofriendly transport service. Everyday, 70 lakh passengers travel by the electric multiple units (EMU) trains while 40 lakh passengers by BEST buses in Mumbai.
