MSRTC has electrified 70% of its Shivneri AC bus fleet which ferries hundreds of commuters daily from Mumbai to Pune. Of the 100 electric buses planned on this popular route, only 30 diesel buses remain to be replaced with brand new electric ones, said an official.
“Our aim is to phase out diesel polluting buses completely on this route in a few months and passengers can expect a comfortable, noiseless AC electric ride between the two cities via the Pune Expressway,” said MSRTC managing director Shekhar Channe.
Moreover, he said the e-buses have already generated profits for the cash-strapped bus corporation from day one. “Our lease rent to the private operator on wet lease is around INR 57 per km while our earning is INR 70 per km–which has helped us make some profits,” he said.
Sources said the fleet may be 100% electrified (100 e-buses) before Diwali.
In the past, a total of 116 diesel-run Volvo and Scania buses operated daily between Mumbai and Pune. “This fleet was curtailed to 100 wet lease diesel buses, after which a decision was taken to introduce e-buses,” an official said. The buses operate from Dadar, Thane and Borivli.
The e-buses are manufactured by Olectra Greentech Ltd and are already a hit with commuters.
Suresh Gosavi, a passenger, said: “I have been travelling on Shivneri buses for the past many years, and it was a delight to get an electric bus which made the 3.5-hour journey comfortable.” It has enhanced passenger comfort, WiFi, mobile charging points near seats, seat lights, and CCTV cameras for added security.
The buses are being procured under Fame-2 subsidy scheme of the Central government and will sport a new look to indicate that they are green fuel buses.
Channe said there will be maximum e-charging points at Mumbai and Pune to ensure uninterrupted journey. The bus corporation has installed fast chargers which can charge a bus in two hours, it is learnt.
“A bus can have a range of 300km on a single charge. It can easily cover a to-and-fro journey to Pune,” said an MSRTC spokesperson.
Channe added that work orders have been issued this week for 2,800 new electric 12-metre-long buses and 2,350 electric 9-metre-long buses. The 9m Midi AC electric buses will be deployed on shorter routes in Mumbai Metropolitan Region, especially in Vasai-Virar, Palghar, Kalyan and beyond.
MSRTC’s diesel expenses per day is around INR 8.8 crore daily, which comprises 38% of the total expenditure for running the fleet. The new electric buses will help reduce the diesel burden on state transport corporations to a large extent, and this will lead to savings, a senior official said.
Meanwhile, MSRTC has seen a good growth in ridership recently and expects it to grow further with such intercity buses becoming popular and with a comfortable e-bus fleet. The daily ridership is now over 54 lakh on all bus routes across Maharashtra.
This was possible due to more senior citizens and women opting for state buses, an official said. Several lakhs of senior citizens above 75 years of age have travelled free of cost in MSRTC so far to religious places, for inter-city and district travel for medical purposes, and so on. Also, many women have availed 50% concession in state bus travel.
MSRTC sources said 97% citizens in the state have access to our buses which cover every nook and corner of Maharashtra. “Around eight lakh students avail of free travel by state buses and this is social work on part of the transport corporation,” one added.
