After several other cities have seen electric buses plying on their roads, courtesy of their respective state transport authorities, Kerala now has a number of electric buses in its state transport fleet all thanks to KSRTC - Kerala State Road Transport Corporation.??
The state transport department has rolled out five electric buses as part of its e-mobility policy. The buses will ply on routes including Thiruvananthapuram city to Kaliyikkavila, Peroorkada to Nedumangad, Pothencode to Venjaramoodu and Thiruvananthapuram city to Koval.
Representative Image
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As per a report, the e-buses will operate with the same fare as the low floor AC buses in the state. As for their battery back up, the electric buses will require 0.8 units of electricity for each kilometre covered. The charging time for the batteries is around 3 to 4 hours. The bus is claimed to cover a distance of 300 km on a single charge.
KSRTC had conducted trials for the electric buses back in June 2018, post which the buses were deployed for the services in Sabarimala. After the successful operation in the region, the electric buses have been brought to the city.
The initiative helps the Kerala state government to reach its target of having up to 1 million electric vehicles within the state by 2022, as announced earlier.