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Karnataka Cabinet Clears 4,500 Electric Buses for Bengaluru
Karnataka has approved many new electric buses for Bengaluru.
These buses will be used by the city’s public transport corporation.
They will be supplied in stages by different manufacturers.
The government expects the buses to reduce pollution and improve air quality.
The State will spend about Rs 600 crore each year on the programme.
It also wants money to build new bus depots and improve bus stands.
Officials are studying whether bus fares should increase because transport costs have risen.
They say any increase would be kept small and the government may help cover some of the extra cost.
The Karnataka Cabinet approved 4,500 new electric buses for the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation.
The buses will be procured under the Centre’s PM E-DRIVE scheme, costing the State about Rs 600 crore annually.
The planned fleet includes 3,800 12-metre buses and 900 9-metre buses, although those figures total 4,700.
Around 400 buses will be air-conditioned and deployed gradually after phased production by manufacturers.
The government is also seeking a Rs 2,000-crore transport infrastructure loan and considering a limited fare revision.
- Who
- The Karnataka Cabinet, Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, Transport Minister Byrathi Suresh, and the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation.
- What
- Approval was granted for 4,500 new electric buses, alongside plans for transport infrastructure financing and possible fare revision.
- Where
- The buses will serve Bengaluru, while proposed depot and bus-stand upgrades will cover Karnataka.
- When
- The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting; the article does not provide a date.
- Why
- The government says the buses will support cleaner public transport, reduce emissions, and improve air quality.
Key facts
- Approved buses
- 4,500 electric buses for the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation
- Procurement scheme
- The Centre’s PM E-DRIVE scheme
- Annual State spending
- Approximately Rs 600 crore
- Estimated 20-year expenditure
- Approximately Rs 12,000 crore
- Bus specifications
- 3,800 buses of 12 metres and 900 buses of 9 metres are listed; these figures total 4,700, exceeding the stated fleet total
- Air-conditioned buses
- Around 400
- Infrastructure loan sought
- Rs 2,000 crore from the Centre
- Fare revision review
- A committee headed by retired senior IAS officer Atul Tiwari is examining the issue
Quotes
Byrathi Suresh
Karnataka Transport Minister
“Any fare revision will be kept minimal so that it does not impose a heavy burden on the common people, particularly in view of the drought situation.”
thehansindia.com
Sources
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