India: Tamil Nadu deploys 120 electric buses in Chennai

According to a report from The Times of India, a private company operates the new 120 electric buses in Chennai under a gross cost contract (GCC) model. The contractor owns, maintains, and runs the fleet on eleven routes across the city, and the government pays it on a per-kilometre basis.

The Tamil Nadu government says the 120 electric buses cost 2.079 billion rupees (approximately 21 million euros). OHM Global Mobility, a subsidiary of Ashok Leyland-owned Switch Mobility, manufactured this fleet. Fully charging these electric buses takes up to two hours and gives a range of 200 km, which is sufficient for a city bus.

The 120 electric buses each have 39 seats and a low floor height of 40 centimetres. Thanks to a kneeling function, it is possible to reduce the floor height to up to 25 cm to make ingress and egress even easier, especially for the differently-abled, elderly, and children.

Each bus has two cameras in the front, and one camera in the rear for CCTV surveillance, ensuring passenger safety, the Tamil Nadu government stated in the press release. The crew operating the 120 electric buses consists of 20 women as well, including three drivers and 17 conductors, The Hindu reported.

The Times of India report suggests the Tamil Nadu government plans to introduce a second batch of electric buses for public transport in Chennai in the future, comprising 135 additional units. Unlike the first batch, the next one will include 55 AC buses that offer passengers more comfort in the summer.

In total, the Tamil Nadu government aims to build a fleet of 625 new low-floor electric buses in Chennai to make public transport in the city eco-friendly. It estimates that each diesel bus emits about 755 grams of CO2 per kilometre and thus expects the new electric buses to significantly improve the city’s air quality.

Source: Information per e-mail, indiatimes.com, thehindu.com