India's first electric bus has started running on
Bangalore's roads. The route on the busy Majestic-Kadugodi road in Bangalore
has India's first electric bus. The city's transport corporation launched this
bus last week.
Zipping past the smoke-emitting regular buses, the orange
beauty stands out. "The pollution level is quite high in Bangalore. So we
were exploring the options of hybrid as well as electric buses. A Chinese
company - Build Your Dreams - came to us and told us that they wanted to give this
bus free of cost for trial," said Anjum Parwez, Managing Director, BMTC.
The electric bus will run on a trial basis for three months
after which hopefully, it will be a regular feature on Bangalore roads. The bus
has zero emission levels, operates on a battery that lasts five hours and can
cover a distance of 250 km.
"It is much better than driving regular buses. I feel
very proud to drive the first electric bus," said bus driver Ramaswamy.
Fitted with CCTV cameras, the bus also has a
disabled-friendly design. But these buses don't come cheap. Bangalore's
transport corporation is hoping to get financial aid from the state government
in the months to come.
Bangaloreans have many reasons to smile as there's a new
metro line and of course the electric bus. And such eco-friendly transport
initiatives will help in bringing down the pollution levels in Bangalore and
hopefully set an example for other cities.
