The 1,400 single deck electric buses (with Driver) tender of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking is quite a burning topic with one bidder losing nearly a ₹2,450 crore deal while the other grabbed a ₹3,675 Crore deal to supply 2,100 single deck electric buses to BEST on a Gross Cross Contract for 12 years. The huge order sent the value of Olectra Greentech (OGL) up by ₹21 on the stock markets. Let us have an overview of the complete scenario so far.
Disclaimer: This article contains information as well as author’s opinion. BESTpedia respects all the automobile manufacturers and transport undertakings. The topic contains a lot of political involvement and the author has taken utmost care in keeping it unbiased. We do not promote any hate towards any manufacturer. At the end of the day, we all deserve better public transport.
Tata Motors in its plea to the Bombay High Court, alleged that in the Brihanmumbai Electricity supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking disqualifying their bid, the decision was done to favour Evey Trans Private Limited, a subsidiary of Olectra Greentech. The bid was considered technically non-responsive by BEST during the technical evaluation, on 6 May 2022. The range of the buses turned out to be a prime element among these. In a recent hearing, it was found out that Tata Motors did guarantee their buses can run up to 200kms on a charge of 80 per cent. Since Tata Motors did not assure on-road guarantee, the specifications ended up only up to theoretical standards, over actual conditions.
Why is Tata not exactly the BEST option?
We would be focusing more on Tata over here, since we have covered Olectra’s track record with BEST in my previous article. The passengers’ opinion on this topic turns equally important since the commuters and crew would be the ones to use these buses on a regular basis for years to come. As of today, BEST has 340 Tata Starbus EVs in its fleet that are a mix of midi and single deck AC buses allotted to Backbay, Shivajinagar, Malvani and Worli depots.
The issue started with screeching noise by electric buses. Gaurang is an EV enthusiast and follows updates in the industry. He has pointed out the flaws and compiled them in a Twitter thread.
The seating capacity of a Tata Starbus Urban EV is 35 passengers which could have been 40 in the absence of the wheelchair lift. Despite of having specifications like advanced regenerative braking, Intelligent Transport system (ITS), USB charging ports onboard and a nice space for the Emergency Exit, the product does not live up to the mark. Apart from this, the dusty floor created a question mark regarding Tata Motors’ maintenance. The buses are thoroughly washed from outside at the depots, but interior cleaning and upkeep is still a question. The Ultra EVs, although are comparatively better than the LP913 CNG Midi Buses. Semi-Low Floor design does offer the required comfort during journey. These buses are ideal on BRTS Routes since the 35-Seater space can be utilised by adding seats in place of the wheelchair lift and BRTS Doors perfectly levelling with the bus stops.
Social Media: Adding more Fuel to the Fire
Everybody has a right to put forth their opinions on social media, as do Twitter users. After all, social media has given a platform for everyone to express themselves. When Tata Motors approached the Court, there were a lot of allegations “Olectra might become the next Kinglong”. With the Kinglong tag, it becomes easy to define it a fraud in public domain. However, the original story itself is different, than many of us know. When the buses were procured by BEST and inaugurated by then General Manager Uttam Khobragade, they were publicised as Kinglong Buses while these Cerita Buses were built by Punjab-based Jaycee Coach Builders Private Limited (JCBL) and not imported from China. An in-depth analysis regarding the same was when BEST stopped all their AC Bus Services back in 2017 and Khobragade plunged into politics.
Suggested reading: The ‘BEST’ scamster Indians should know about – Congress and the Khobragades have a lot to explain by Srikanth Ramakrishnan on OpIndia.
In recent months, rationalisation of routes has invited the rage of many. So, the current issue is no exception.
Strength of Tata buses in the current fleet
The loss of 48 CNG buses from the 3xxx Series has begun the end of Bharat Stage 3 (BS3)Tata CNG Buses serving in BEST. In the 5xxx Series, there are nearly 594 Buses which would get scrapped by 2024. The Tata Starbus Hybrid (all 25 are with Dharavi Depot as of now) might leave us by 2027 while the BS4 Tata LPO1618 AMT (also known as ACGL among busfans) would not leave us at least till 2030. There were talks of retrofitting these buses into CNG, but there is no update regarding the same. As of now, these 185 buses are operated by Colaba, Backbay, Shivajinagar, Kurla, Bandra and Worli depots.
Inducted in service in 2019-20, the BS4 Tata LP913 (if maintained till the end) would be in service till 2028. There are about 512 such AC CNG midi buses in service with Mumbai Central, Deonar, Ghatkopar, Anik, Mulund, Magathane and Gorai depots. Next came the 340 electric buses procured under the Central government-backed FAME II scheme. Tata Starbus Ultra EVs and Tata Starbus Urban EVs are allotted to Backbay, Shivajinagar, Malvani and Worli depots. The latest addition to BEST fleet is 400 Tata LPO1613 BS6 CNG buses. These Non-AC Semi Low-Floor buses are allotted to Pratikshanagar, Majas, Santacruz and Dharavi depot. If we talk about numbers, even by not adding the BS3 CNG Buses, the current strength of Tata buses would be around 1,462 which includes the Hybrid, BS4, BS6 and Electric buses.
Conclusion
There is no doubt Tata Motors is a trustworthy automobile manufacturer in the country. But the Indian electric vehicle industry is still in its developing stage and currently, only the BEST – pun intended – should be given priority. There is room for improvement for every player. Ashok Leyland’s Switch Mobility have launched their EiV 12 on 14 June 2022 in Chennai as a product exclusively built keeping in mind the expectations from an Electric Bus for the Indian market. Volvo-Eicher Commercial Vehicles (VECV) showcased their Skyline 3012 & Skyline 6019 Electric uses, a month ago at the Indore Auto Show.
The current fleet of Olectra Buses in BEST is 46 and the order will add 2,100 more. Let’s hope that BEST takes fleet expansion seriously, this time since Mumbai does not have enough Metro lines functional as of now. Suburban trains and BEST Buses would continue to be a backbone of Public Transport in Mumbai until the third lifeline is not operational. The undertaking aimed to increase its fleet fourfold. From 3,000 to 6,000 then to 10,000. But the issue is, number of buses being procured are not sufficient to fill the absence due to buses being scrapped.
Featured Image: Tata Starbus ULTRA EV and meil K7D at Rani Laxmibai Chowk, Sion (Photo Copyright: Gandharva Purohit)
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