Tata Motors Ltd has announced the delivery of 26 electric buses to Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST), which runs a fleet of buses for the commuters in the city. The delivery marks the commencement of the first ever Gross Cost Contract (GCC) electric bus service to BEST.
The buses are delivered as a part of the larger order of 340 electric buses from BEST under the government of India’s FAME II initiative, with the rest lined up to be delivered in a phased manner as per schedule.
The 25-seater Tata Ultra Urban 9/9 electric AC buses were flagged off by Chief Minister of Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray, at an event at Nariman Point, Mumbai.
Tata Motors will be undertaking to build, deploy, maintain and operate the complete charging infrastructure along with the buses across four Mumbai depots of – Backbay, Worli, Malvani and Shivaji Nagar, the company said.
Under the unique ‘One Tata’ initiative, the company leverages the core competences of various group companies. Tata Power will be contributing by taking complete charge of upstream and downstream electrical facilities including supplies and shall also be responsible for the complete bus charging facility.
Tata Auto Components will undertake collaborations, design, development, sourcing and supply of select components to Tata Motors under the initiative. The electric buses are indigenously developed by Tata Motors using the latest manufacturing technology to offer the best comfort for the passengers and low cost of operations for BEST.
Girish Wagh, president, Commercial Vehicle Business Unit, Tata Motors said, “The buses have been specially designed keeping the comfort and convenience of Mumbaikars, including a “lift mechanism” for differently-abled travellers. Our global standards of manufacturing processes and vehicle development centres have helped in innovating and leading the electric mobility solutions from the front.”
