Mumbai gets its first fleet of hybrid electric AC buses

electric AC busesMumbai is all set to run its first batch of hybrid electric air conditioned buses in next few weeks.

The buses, running on diesel and electric power, will commute between the nearest railway stations to Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). The 32 seater buses will come with air-conditioned facilities, low floors, on-board facilities like mobile charging points, digital display, passenger announcement system, bucket seats, Wi-Fi and automatic fare collection system etc. Each bus will cost Rs 1.61 crore.

Five buses have already reached the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking depots after the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and have been handed over to the operating authority.

BEST is going to operate these buses on routes connecting BKC with Bandra, Kurla and Sion railway stations.

Initially, the price of the tickets have been kept at Rs 15 and Rs 25. The fleet of buses is going to improve the connectivity of BKC.

In the second phase, 20 buses will also be added to the fleet. The BS IV compliant buses come with advanced lithium ion phosphate battery technology.

One of the key feature of these buses is that the bus battery recharge itself with the engine running. The electronic braking system generates power each time the driver presses the brakes.