AP\'s first electric bus likely to be rolled out during Tirumala annual Brahmotsavams

TIRUPATI: The first batch of electric buses will soon roll down the Twin Ghat roads of Tirumala hill town. The state road transport corporation (APSRTC) is likely to launch the buses marking the nine-day Srivari annual Brahmotsavams from September 27.

The APSRTC has plans to procure 100 new electric buses to preserve the sanctity of the Tirumala hill town and Tirupati by reducing the level of pollution. The first electric bus in Tirumala was originally planned for start on April 30.

The Olectra Greentech Ltd and the Evey Trans Pvt Ltd, leaders in electric mobility and manufacturing of electric buses, are supplying 100 electric buses to the RTC under the central government’s FAME-II scheme. These e-buses will be provided on a gross cost contract/operating expenses model basis for 12 years and the value of the contract is approximately `140 crore, an official report said.

APSRTC vice-chairman and managing director Dwaraka Tirumalarao recently told the media that the first batch of 20 electric buses will be flagged off by September end and the remaining buses by the end of December.

APSRTC plans to deploy 50 buses at the Alipiri depot to be operated on Tirumala-Tirupati Ghat and it plans to operate 14 buses from Renigunta airport to Tirumala. The remaining will be operated from Tirupati to Nellore, Kadapa, and Madanapalle as intercity buses.

It is also contemplating procuring more electric buses after studying the feasibility of the pilot project in Tirupati.

“The first electric bus arrived at Alipiri bus depot in Tirupati on Sunday. The registration process is done on Monday. Thereafter, we will hold a week-long trial run on the Tirupati-Tirupati ghat road to check how the bus works in the hard terrain of the ghat section. The buses will be inducted into the fleet by the end of this month,” an APSRTC official said.

According to the RTC officials, these 9-metre air-conditioned electric buses have a seating capacity of 35+D, equipped with electronically controlled air suspension, advanced disc braking system powered by ABS, power assisted steering system, CCTV cameras, USB sockets for each seat, short circuit and lightning protection and other advanced features.

The high-power AC & DC charging system enables the battery to fully recharge in 3-4 hours.

“The electric bus is featured as eco-friendly with zero harmful emissions. The functioning and system maintenance of the engine can be monitored from the driver’s cabin by a human-touch integrated dashboard. The technologically advanced bus has a regenerative braking system that allows the bus to recover part of the kinetic energy lost in braking. A single full recharge will enable the bus to travel up to 300km, based on traffic and passenger load conditions,” the APSRTC explained.