Chennai, Kovai to get e-buses soon

KARUR: About 100 battery-operated buses are to be imported from the UK and used in Chennai to bring down  emissions, Transport Minister MR Vijayabaskar said on Thursday.He was speaking to media after his return from a nine-day trip to the US and UK to study battery-operated bus operations.

“I took part in a seminar in Los Angeles on how to prevent and tackle global warming. More than 15,000 representatives from 183 countries participated in the seminar. We then went to London for a detailed study of their battery-operated buses and the possibilities of using them in Chennai. We are conducting a study on this as there are lot difficulties in implementing them here, as we will need to set up battery charging stations for the buses in the city,” he said.

“Steps are being taken to buy them and will soon be implemented in Tamil Nadu. C-40 team members visited Chennai and did a survey on which routes the buses could operate and locations for charging stations. Progress is being made and we will see these buses on the streets very soon,” he added.
“Initially we are planning to buy around 100 battery-operated buses. Eighty of the buses will be used in Chennai owing to increasing pollution while the rest will be given to Coimbatore district. A battery-operated bus costs about `2 crore. We can control pollution only by updating ourselves with latest technology.”

Vijayabaskar said, “The next batch of new buses will be provided to the State Transport Corporation in about 15 days. Around 500 new buses are ready to replace the old ones which have been running for around 10 years. Due to the fuel price hike, the Transport department is facing a crisis situation now. So, we have requested the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister to provide us with additional funds to overcome and tackle the difficulties. They have said that they will look into it and take a decision soon.”