SMC starts trail run of electric buses on BRTS

Surat: Surtis get ready to ride on electric buses on the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) in the city as Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) has started a trial run for the electric bus from Monday.
According to SMC officials, a trail run began on Monday on an 18-kilometer stretch between Kosad and Pal (RTO) in the city. Surat Municipal Commissioner Banchhanidhi Pani and city Mayor Dr Jagdish Patel took a ride on the bus.
“We have started the trail run and we will soon start purchasing electric buses in a phased manner. If everything goes as per plan, total 150 electric buses will be running on BRTS track before December this year. SMC has already received Rs 13.5 crore as the first instalment from the union government as a subsidy in February. These buses have been sanctioned under Phase-II of Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India Scheme (FAME India Scheme) of Department of Heavy Industry (Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises),” said an SMC official.
As per the Union government’s scheme, Surat is entitled to get a total subsidy of Rs 67.5 crore for 150 electric buses.
Surat has a 102km BRTS corridor, the largest dedicated corridor in the country. In normal circumstances, 1.35 lakh commuters travel daily on BRTS buses. SMC has 166 buses. But due to Covid-19 spread in the city, it plays only 128 on BRTS.