After Delhi fights for air, BEST launches 4 electric buses to counter pollution in Mumbai

The four BEST buses, which will run completely on batteries, will initially ply between Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), Churchgate and Nariman Point.

Mayuresh Ganapatye  | Posted by Sonalee Borgohain
Mumbai, November 11, 2017 | UPDATED 11:49 IST
The 32-seater buses have been procured at a cost of Rs 1 crore each.The 32-seater buses have been procured at a cost of Rs 1 crore each.

Highlights

  • 1
    BEST introduced 4 new electric buses with an objective to reduce air pollution in Mumbai.
  • 2
    These buses will run completely on batteries.
  • 3
    The 32-seater buses have been procured at a cost of Rs 1 crore each.

The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) introduced four new electric buses with an objective to reduce air pollution in Mumbai. This comes in even as Delhi, which has been under a thick blanket of smog for the last three days, is figuring out measures to combat pollution.

BEST is the transport wing of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).  The four BEST buses will initially ply between Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), Churchgate and Nariman Point.

These buses are different from the hybrid buses as they will run completely on batteries. There are 4 batteries in each bus and it takes at least 3 to 3-and-a-half hour for the batteries to be fully charged. Once fully charged, a bus can run for 200km.

"It is a good initiative by BEST. We were working on this since the last one year. I thank BMC for allocating fund for this. Our aim is to induct more such buses in fleet," said Yuva Sena chief Aditya Thackery.

These buses are engineless and gearless, which will help curb the pollution and save fuel as well. They create zero noise which is a win-win situation. BEST spends Rs 20/km and Rs 15/km for CNG buses, but these electric buses will cost only Rs 8 per/km. BEST is hence confident that it can slowly reduce its losses by inducting many more such buses in its fleet.

A normal diesel bus usually costs around Rs 50 lakh but these electric buses are double the price of diesel buses. The buses which got indicted in BEST's fleet cost them Rs 1 crore each.

With the introduction of electric buses, Mumbai will become the second city in Maharashtra to experiment with it after Nagpur. Meanwhile, Himachal Pradesh has also introduced these buses which travel between Kullu-Manali-Rohtang pass.

"These are 32-seater buses and there are 6 USB charging points for travellers. There is good ventilation in the bus," said Anil Kokil, chairman, BEST.