Month: December 2020

Pune’s Electric Buses Make Their Way To Hubballi-Dharwad For BRTS Trials

For the last decade, Karnataka has been among the most proactive states in India when it came to acquiring new buses. The state was among the largest beneficiaries under the UPA government’s sham JnNURM and is continues to be so under the Modi sarkar’s FAME scheme for electric buses.

The second urban agglomeration in Karnataka, comprising the twin cities of Hubballi and Dharwad in the northern reaches of the state is the only city in the state with a functional bus rapid transit system (BRTS). The 22 km long HDBRTS connects the two cities and uses a fleet of 100 custom-built purple Chigari buses built by Volvo AB’s subsidiary UD Trucks. (I had posted a picture of a UD bus on trial with BMTC in my last post.)

On Thursday, 10 December, Kishan Rajput reporting for the Times of India tweeted out a picture of an Olectra eBuzz K9 belonging to the Pune Smart City Development Corporation Limited (PSCDCL) and operated by the PMPML with a notice that it was on trial with the Hubli Dharwad Company Limited.

While many cities make use of Olectra’s eBuzz series, PMPML’s fleet, consisting of both the the 9m long K7 and the 12m long K9 are all equipped with right-hand-side doors for use on a BRT system.

While I’m not sure about UD buses, Volvo AB sold its bus business in India to VE Commercial Vehicles, a joint venture between Volvo and Eicher. It seems that BYD and Olectra are here to stay. I’d like to see more Tata and Ashok Leyland buses though, the latter of which are running on the streets of Chennai.

Apart from this, Olectra will also supply 30 buses to Dehradun, 150 to Surat and another 25 to Silvassa. Let’s hope the EV fever reaches Hubli-Dharwad soon!

That’s all from me this time.

Featured image: Volvo UD Chigari Bus on the Hubli Dharwad BRTS (Hubli Dharwad Infra on Twitter)

Also; Did You Know CoEP Has A PG Diploma In Metro Rail Tech And Electric Mobility?

If you intend on stepping out, don’t forget the basics: A mask and sanitizer.

           

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Spotted: JBM EcoLife Electric Bus On Trials With BMTC

While walking along Bannerghatta Road, I happened to spot a bus that seemed odd. At the first glance, it looked a lot like the Tata Starbus Hybrid Diesel-Electric bus that BEST operates in Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). As the bus came closer, I noticed that it was not a Tata bus, but rather a JBM bus.

Here is the picture of the bus that I snapped.

JBM EcoLife Electric bus on trials with BMTC on Bannerghatta Road (Srikanth Ramakrishnan/BESTpedia via Wikimedia Commons)
JBM EcoLife Electric bus on trials with BMTC on Bannerghatta Road (Srikanth Ramakrishnan/BESTpedia via Wikimedia Commons)

The bus is a JBM EcoLife Electric bus, bearing a green number plate with a Mathura (UP-85) registration, presumably because JBM has a bus manufacturing plant at Kosi Kalan, Mathura.

According to JBM’s page on the bus, the JBM Solaris EcoLife has two models, a 9m and 12m one. This is presumably the latter. Both have an 80-160 KW motor powered by a Lithium battery. It can be charged either with a plug-in mechanism or a pantograph. The bus features two inswing doors, one at the front and one in the centre, and features a manually operated wheelchair ramp.

This is the second time BMTC is trialing electric buses, the last one being the BYD Utopia in 2014. Cities in India are moving towards electric vehicles under the Modi Sarkar’s Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME India) scheme.

In 2015, BMTC had trialed a diesel-powered bus manufactured by Japan’s UD, a subsidiary of Sweden’s Volvo AB. Here is a snap of that too.

Volvo UD SLF on trials with BMTC (Srikanth Ramakrishnan/BESTpedia via Wikimedia Commons)
Volvo UD SLF on trials with BMTC (Srikanth Ramakrishnan/BESTpedia via Wikimedia Commons)

Coming back to electric buses, BMTC operated the BYD Utopia for about 4 months in 2014 but deferred purchasing it due to the high price tag of ₹2.5 crore attached to it. In October, The Hindu reported that BMTC was receiving buses from Olectra, JBM and Ashok Leyland for trials. It also received bids from Veera Vahan Udyog. Veera is a Bangalore-based manufacturer of buses that has supplied a significant amount of BMTC’s Suvarna and JnNURM buses back in 2009. It has also been manufacturing three-door buses to take on the German Contrac Cobus 3000; some of these can be spotted at Kempegowda International Airport, operated by GlobeGround. Veera is also setting up a plant in Ananthapuramu (Anantapur), Andhra Pradesh to manufacture 3,000 electric buses a year. As reported by Bangalore Mirror, JBM is the lowest bidder to supply 90 buses.

Other cities that currently use JBM buses include Navi Mumbai. The Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT) undertaking operates the blue-coloured 9m JBM EcoLife E9 bus, mostly along AC-105 from CBD Belapur to Bandra Railway Station (West).

Also; Did You Know CoEP Has A PG Diploma In Metro Rail Tech And Electric Mobility?

If you intend on stepping out, don’t forget the basics: A mask and sanitizer.

           

Featured Image: JBM Solaris EcoLife.

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This Image Of A “Bus Mall” From Vasai Virar Should Make You Sad

Last week, while trawling thru the interwebz, I cam across a picture posted by transport journalist Rajendra Aklekar on Twitter of a bus operated by the Vasai Virar Municipal Transport (VVMT) undertaking. The photograph was originally clicked by Suraj Poojary.

Writing for Mid Day, Aklekar reports that VVMT has been off the roads due to issues with contractors. The Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation had said in November that they aimed to have at least 100 buses on the roads by December.

VVMT was launched in 2012 and part of its fleet is owned by the undertaking. The remainder of the fleet is outsourced to a contractor Bhagirathi Travels, much like how Surat City Bus and Atal Indore City Transport Services operate.

It was reported recently in the Marathi media that a subsidiary of Neeta Travels has signed up to take over services, but I’m unable to find a link as of now.

Vasai Virar has been suffering due to the acute lack of buses and railway services. While BEST and MSRTC extended their services to the satellite city as part of the state governments awkwardly named ‘Mission Begin Again’, the strain has been pretty heavy.

It’s sad to see a bus fall into such disuse, especially at a time when buses have been the lifeline of the city.

Featured Image: VVMT Shopping Mall by Suraj Poojary, all rights reserved.

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BEST’s New AC Electric Midis Are Here

While BEST has consistently stuck to one design for their AC minibus fleet, the Force Motors Smart Citibus, their midibus fleet has a lot more variations. The first to enter the fleet were the BYD/Olectra electric buses, both in an AC and non-AC versions, attached to the Backbay and Kalakilla depots. The second was the CNG-powered Tata Marcopolo which was originally attached to the Mumbai Central Depot and later also reached the Deonar and Magathane depots.

Now, BEST has gone and got itself a new set of midibuses, this time electric once again. The bus this time is from Tata Motors, and is the Tata Marcopolo Starbus Ultra 9m Electric city bus. According to Tata Motors the bus is Bharat Stage VI compliant (although I don’t understand why emission standards would apply to an electric vehicle) and features a top speed of 75 km/hr with a range of 150 km under ideal conditions and a charging time of 2 to 2.5 hours with fast charging.

The bus also has an automated wheelchair ramp for the disabled. The last time BEST buses had such a feature was in the original Tata Starbus fleet that was inducted in 2004-2005 (which were later used on the Fort Pheri routes) although these were manually operated.

You can check out some images here. The bus, like the other midibuses, features a USB charging socket under the seat. It was flagged off by (sadly) Uddhav Thackeray and Aaditya Thackeray.

These buses are also on Wet Lease like the other ones, and owned by Tata Motors Limited (marked with TML on the front and the back). They’re currently attached to the Backbay Depot and run on at least one route: A-25 from Backbay Depot to Rani Laxmi Chowk (Sion).

That’s all from me for now. BEST’s new EVs look really cool!

For my first impressions of BEST’s earlier Midi and Mini-buses, do check out the following:

A Quick Review Of BEST’s Midi-Buses

BEST’s New AC Buses Are A Delight To Travel On

Also, if you’re interested in EVs as a career choice; Did You Know CoEP Has A PG Diploma In Metro Rail Tech And Electric Mobility?

Whether you’re travelling in an electric bus, a diesel bus or a CNG powered bus, don’t forget to take the basic precautions when you step out. Do wear a mask, and carry sanitizer with you.

           

Featured Image: BEST A-25 from Backbay Depot to Rani Laxmi Chowk (Sion) (Vishal/Twitter)

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