Mumbai To Pune In An Electric Bus: Environment Friendly Buses No More Have Range Anxiety

Electric buses in India are rapidly increasing in number. Yet they are still limited to operations within a city. Not anymore, as Mumbai Central ST bus depot has now launched the country¡¯s first inter-city electric bus. Named 'Shivai', the 43-seater electric bus claims a range of 300 km on a single charge. Good enough for a trip from Mumbai to Pune.

Shivai will be operated by MSRTC and comes as a part of a planned fleet of 150 electric buses for several inter-city routes, Mumbai-Pune and Mumbai-Nashik being a couple of them. For their smooth operation, the contractor is also liable to come up with charging stations along the highways.

Interestingly, these electric buses will also be cheaper for commuters than the regular ICE ones. While the earlier fare from Mumbai to Pune was Rs 16 per km, the new price has been mentioned to be Rs 14 per km in a TOI report.

The launch of the first inter-city electric bus in India highlights a big win for the country in general. EVs in the country are under constant scrutiny for their range, considering the lack of an EV charging infrastructure in the country. Long trips, even in potent electric cars like the Hyundai Kona claiming a range of 450 kms on a single charge are a thing of doubt in the country for now.

Shivai Electric Bus (Image: Shiv Sena/ Twitter)

In such a scenario, a calculated progression for transitioning to EVs is much needed. Especially for the ones being inducted as public transport. Which routes are best suited for electric buses? Which electric buses to procure? Where are the corresponding charging stations to be placed for their operations? Who will be responsible for running these services?

In this case, the inter-city electric bus has been procured on a ¡°wet-lease,¡± which means they will be owned and maintained by the third-party contractor, while the operations will be handled by MSRTC without any additional cost.

Induction of such electric buses comes as a part of a nation wide effort to make public transport greener than before. Pushed by the alarming rise in pollution levels across the country, EVs are anticipated to lower the vehicular emissions as well as reduce India¡¯s dependence on fuel imports. Citing the same, the centre had recently given a budget of Rs 2,500 crore for procuring 5,000 electric buses recently.