KSRTC started testing electric bus in Kochi
The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) started the test run of the electric bus in Kochi on Saturday. Education Minister C Raveendranath flagged off the e-bus after a function held at Vytilla Mobility Hub.
C Raveendranath claimed the electric bus may become a solution for several issues faced by KSRTC. “As we all know KSRTC is facing several issues. There have been studies going on to reduce the running expense and increase the capacity of KSRTC buses. A proper plan is being formulated to revive KSRTC. The government wants the KSRTC to be a profit-making entity and overcome all the financial issues. The electric bus a part of the drive to turn KSRTC into a profit-making establishment,” he said.
He also sought the corporation of KSRTC employees and the public for reviving the KSRTC. He said electric bus currently undergoing the test at various terrains has the capacity to reduce running expenses and it is environment-friendly. While MLA PT Thomas said some of the KSRTC employees came up with complaints that they were not given an opportunity to test the electric bus. He also pointed out severe traffic block at Vytilla and asked the government to take appropriate and speedy action. K V Thomas MP appreciated KSRTC in introducing environment-friendly buses.
C Raveendranath, PT Thomas and K V Thomas also travelled in the electric bus for a short duration. The low-floor bus by Hyderabad-based Goldstone Infratech will be in testing terrains in Ernakulam till June 27. The K9-D.2 variant of the bus can seat up to 35 passengers and has the wheel-chair facility. The bus can attain a speed up to 90 kilometres per hour. In Kochi, eight services have been scheduled for the electric bus starting from Aluva at 6.30 am and ending at the same place by 8.35 pm. The bus will be plying to Fort Kochi, Infopark, Paravoor, Nedumbassery Airport and Aroor covering 292 km daily.
On June 27, the bus will move to Kozhikode for a similar testing purpose. The 15 day- long trial run of the electric bus had commenced in Thiruvananthapuram on June 18. The bus will be charged at night. It requires around four-five hours to get fully charged. The fully charged bus can operate for a distance of 350 km. The battery consumption for a kilometre is around 1.5-1.8 kWh. “The bus started from Thiruvananthapuram to Aluva with full charged battery. In reaching Aluva, the bus had 18 per cent charge left. The bus was moving on trial mode and it stopped at every station and permitted public have the glimpse on it,”A KSRTC officer said.
If the testing turns successful, the government might opt from procuring the electric-buses on a lease basis. Since the price of the bus is around Rs 1.5-2.5 crores each, the government might look for lease options. “We are looking on procuring the bus on a lease basis as well. Since these buses are very expensive, a huge fund is required to purchase such buses in bulk number. We will decide about it only once the testing of the vehicle is completed. Other India vehicle manufacturers are also producing electric buses and we will call a global tender if the test turns successful,” an officer said. KSRTC is already operating premium inter-State services using wet-leased multi-axle buses. The government will also seek opinions from other states where the electric buses are operational now.
