The AC double-decker e-bus has arrived at Mumbai’s Colaba depot and will soon be operational on city roads this week. 

Lokesh Chandra, the general manager of BEST, said that the paperwork process has been completed and it will soon be operational on roads.

Also Read: Mumbai: Soon you can charge your e-vehicles at BEST depots, know details here

While initially, only a handful of  AC double-decker e-buses will be functional, by the end of March, BEST is planning to introduce more of these e-buses on various routes across the city.

Here is all you need to know about the AC double-decker e-bus:

Route:

– The first AC double-decker e-bus will be operational from the Kurla bus depot on the Kurla-Santacruz route. 

– However, after the number of these buses increases, they will be deployed on other city routes that have a huge footfall during office hours. “We have identified routes on which these e-buses will ply. The e-buses will be operational from the Colaba depot, Majas depot, and Kurla depots, as the double-deckers operational from these depots have higher footfall,” said Chandra.

Facilities:

– The AC double-decker e-bus has a capacity of carrying 78 commuters

– Unlike the normal double-deckers, it will have doors on both sides for passengers to move in and move out easily 

– Digital tap-in tap-out ticketing service will be available for the commuters

– CCTV cameras are installed in the bus for the safety of the passengers

– This AC double-decker bus will have two staircases

Fare :

– It will have a minimum fare of Rs 6

When will other e-buses arrive in Mumbai:

The BEST will be getting the e-buses batch-wise. In the financial year 2023-24, BEST is planning to introduce around 4,000 e-buses in the city which includes around 200 AC double-decker e-buses.

Benefits:

– The 200 buses which will be introduced by BEST this year, will reduce BEST’s carbon footprint and will also save around 26 million litres of diesel per year.

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