BENGALURU: Fully air-conditioned electric double-decker buses are set to return to the city by March after several decades.
The Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) is in the process of launching electric double-decker services and Ashok Leyland Company-backed Switch Mobility has secured the tender for the project. In the first phase, 4-5 electric double-decker buses will introduced. The e-double decker buses are already in use in Mumbai.
As per the BMTC’s plan, the e-double decker buses will be run in Hebbal-Silk Board for trial basis. If there is good response to the service, it will plan additional buses. The transport utility has received Rs 10 crore funds from the Department of Urban Land Transport (DULT) to buy five electric double-decker buses.
The bus can accommodate 65 passengers and the ticket fare will be similar to Volvo air-conditioned or Vajra BMTC air-conditioned services. It is expected that the double-decker buses will hit the roads before the Model Code of Conduct comes into effect.
In the past, double-decker buses plied in the city from the 1970s to the 1990s. They ran from Majestic, Jayanagar, Shivajinagar and several other places.