BANGALORE: The State Government’s ambitious plan to introduce electric trolley buses for operation, initially in Mysore, is expected to have the support of the Union Government. The Centre has told States to introduce electric buses for public transport in an effort to reduce air and noise pollution in all the major cities of the country. The project is expected to be cleared under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) programme.

The State is expected to be first in the country to have electric trolley buses for public transport and, according to the Government plan, the new buses will cover a 65-km route length encompassing all the arterial roads in Mysore. Based on the feedback, similar buses will be introduced in Bangalore and Mangalore.

The introduction of the buses has been described by Minister for Transport N. Cheluvarayaswamy as a “Suvarna Karnataka gift” to the people of the State.

The detailed project report being prepared by the Infrastructure Development Corporation, Karnataka, and Rail India Technical and Economic Services is in the final stages. It will be submitted to the Government shortly. The proposal will be placed before the State Cabinet for approval after the authorities concerned vet the report. As per a tentative plan, the State Government is expected to call for global tenders to supply the electric buses and also commission them, as electric cables have to be laid all along the route to power the buses.

Mr. Cheluvarayaswamy, who visited some European countries along with Principal Secretary, Transport, D. Thangaraj, told The Hindu that the State Government would submit the proposal to the Union Government for clearance under the JNNURM.

Principal Secretary, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, M.R. Sreenivasamurthy, who was earlier vice-chairman and managing director, Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation, has prepared the proposal, having studied the operations of electric buses in Lyon in France, which is a heritage city like Mysore.

The National Policy on Urban Transport has highlighted the need for introducing electric trolley buses in important cities of the country and, given the advantages of the JNNURM, the State Government has decided to take advantage of the Union Government’s initiative. The authorities have picked Mysore rather than Bangalore owing to the traffic congestion in the State capital and the relative disadvantages. Most of the funding for the electric bus project is expected from the Union Government, and the buses will run on the existing road network. In some European and Latin American countries, electric trolley buses serve as a feeder service to mass rapid transport systems.

Mr. Cheluvarayaswamy said the air-conditioned electric buses were similar to the existing hi-tech buses being run by the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation and the KSRTC. They could carry 80 to 100 passengers. The buses were noiseless and vibration- and pollution-free compared to diesel-powered ones. The cost of tickets for the electric buses would be around the same as that for the Volvo buses in operation in Bangalore, the Minister said.

On the cost of the buses, it was mentioned that it depended on the tax structure. The State Government would request the Union Government to waive customs duty. In the European countries, electric trolley buses cost twice as much as conventional buses. Operating them is cheap as power consumption is relatively low. Wear and tear is also minimal since there are not many movable parts in the vehicles.

The electric trolleys are in operation in 348 cities around the world. In the U.S., they are in operation in San Francisco (331 buses), Boston (50) and Seattle (150). A large number are also running in Russia and East European countries.

Source:http://www.hindu.com/2006/11/13/stories/2006111313290100.htm

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