By Business India Editorial

The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), which has already introduced a fleet of electric buses in the city circular service, plans to introduce two electric double-decker buses. 

This will be a joint initiative of the Smart City Thiruvananthapuram Ltd (SCTL) and KSRTC. The KSRTC has issued tenders to buy two fully-built non-AC open roof, double-decker electric buses. This will also have an electrically operated retractable roof and a charger. The vendor will also have to provide a warranty of two years of two lakh km, whichever is earlier, and annual maintenance contract for a period of five years on exports of warranty.

As per the tender document, the bus shall be energy efficient, environment-friendly, safe and secure for transportation of passengers. The buses are expected to operate 180km/day in the city. The vendor has to ensure timely training to the KSRTC mechanics and staff for executing the preventive and routine maintenance by utilising the available facilities in KSRTC. 

There shall be 66 seats. A single charge may cover a minimum of 120km, the specification document has noted. As for the roof, it will be an electrically operated retractable roof on the upper deck with a wind guard and guard to prevent hitting trees. The specification also includes automatic GPS-enabled destination announcement and display system in eight languages. The ground floor will be converted into a restaurant with a refrigerator, microwave oven, food storage area and seating for passengers like a coffee shop. 

The KSRTC has recently introduced 10 more electric buses in the city circular service. On August 1, 2022 the KSRTC-SWIFT had introduced the electric buses in the city circular service. In the first phase, 25 buses were introduced. The expense for operating the diesel buses per km is Rs37 in the city routes and for electric buses, the expense is Rs23 per km. In the first two months of the introduction of the electric buses, the KSRTC could make a monthly profit of Rs40 lakh. The corporation could save Rs28 lakh and Rs32 lakh in August and September, respectively, towards the diesel expenses. 

The KSRTC City Ride started the open deck double-decker bus services on April 18 for providing better travel facilities for the tourists visiting the city. The two-storey bus is currently offering the services, including the night city ride (5pm to 10pm) and the day city ride (9am to 4pm).