India's first electric bus starts running in Bangalore
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.
