On September 14, Karnataka Transport Minister B Sriramulu stated that the state government’s goal is to convert all 35,000 buses to electric vehicles by 2030. During question hour in the legislative assembly, the Minister was responding to a question raised by Congress MLA Tanveer Sait.
“There are about 35,000 buses, there is a demand to make all buses electric, keeping in mind environment and pollution related concerns. With diesel prices increasing, we are incurring losses. We want all our buses to become electric and we start making profits. discussions are on in this regard,” Sriramulu said.
All buses to be converted into electric by 2030
“It is our endeavour that all our buses become electric by 2030. We will make all efforts so that all the 35,000 buses will be converted to electric by 2030,” he said, adding.
According to the Minister, the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) does not buy electric buses and instead leases them.
He stated that under the Smart City Project, BMTC has been operating 90 electric buses since December 2021 under a ‘Gross Cost Contract’ for 12 years, with a per kilometre (km) cost of Rs 64.67.
Under the central government’s Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid and) Electric vehicles – FAME II scheme, 300 electric buses have been ordered, and 75 of them buses have begun operation since August 15, 2022, and the per km cost of these buses is Rs 61.90.
Further, under the Centre’s FAME II scheme an order has been issued on August 17, 2022, to operate 921 electric buses through Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL); per km cost of these buses is Rs 54, he noted.
