Maiden e-bus to Mysuru runs full, bookings rise  

BENGALURU: The Bengaluru-Mysuru ‘EV Power Plus’ electric bus ran to full capacity on its maiden journey on Monday. The 43-seater buses were full, and demand for bookings has already started to increase, though only one bus will ply from Bengaluru in the morning and one will ply from Mysuru at noon, officials of the Karnataka State Transport Corporation said.

Many passengers took to social media to share videos, photographs and comments on the journey. Some suggested that since the bus runs at high speed, seat belts should not be limited to the front seats. Others wanted goodies to be offered on all trips and not just for one day, so there is more traction.

Reacting to the responses, KSRTC Managing Director V Anbu Kumar told The New Indian Express that all safety measures have been incorporated in the bus, and there was no need for more seat belts.
Looking at the demand, the corporation was working on calling for tenders to add buses on other routes, and would start with shorter destinations like Tumakuru, Chitradurga and Kolar, he said. The corporation was also looking at gradually making e-buses semi-sleepers, and run Airavat as sleeper buses.

“We are not competing with any other agency, but with ourselves, and aim to make the bus journey for commuters more comfortable. There is no vibration, noise or smell in the e-bus compared to buses running on other fuel. This is what commuters have appreciated the most,” Kumar added.

The corporation is also working on encouraging more India-based companies to operate and ply more e-buses on shorter routes. Some passengers from Andhra Pradesh claimed that the air-conditioner was noiseless, though most buses are noisy when on the move.