Mysuru Division gets eight new buses; 24 trips a day

Mysore/Mysuru: The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation’s (KSRTC) first intercity electric bus (e-bus) trial between Mysuru and Bengaluru on the Expressway built between the two cities has seen an electric response from the passengers who are using the service with more frequency now.

The overwhelming response has made the KSRTC allot eight brand new electric buses exclusively to the Mysuru Division and the number will be increased further if there is a demand. The eight new buses, procured under Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME) scheme of the Union Government, have already begun its services.

The first bus procured under FAME-II that was being operated from the Bengaluru Division between Bengaluru and Mysuru has been withdrawn as the KSRTC has allotted eight new buses to the Mysuru Division alone.

The KSRTC received a prototype of an electric bus under FAME-II scheme from a Hyderabad-based company and started operation on Jan. 16 between Bengaluru and Mysuru.

These new eight buses have started operations from Mar. 21 and are doing 24 trips per day (12 from Mysuru to Bengaluru and 12 from Bengaluru to Mysuru), officials said.

“The bus service operates every hour from 6 am to 3 pm and from 4 pm to 6 pm. We have 80 percent occupancy in each bus and it offers comfortable seats and a soundless cruise. A passenger has to pay Rs. 320 from Mysuru to Satellite Bus Stand in Bengaluru and it will be Rs. 340 to the Kempegowda Bus Station (Majestic),” officers said.

There are two charging points at the Mysuru Suburban Bus Stand and apart from one charging point that was established earlier, one more charging point has been shifted here from the KSRTC workshop. Two buses can charge at a time and proceed, they added.

Passenger-friendly initiative

As a passenger-friendly initiative, the City Police have started a campaign inside the buses to alert passengers about thieves who operate in the buses by stealing gadgets and phones. Before a bus starts to Bengaluru, Cops enter the bus to make a public announcement asking the passengers to watch out for their phones and laptops and other expensive gadgets.

Announcements are made for the passengers to keep a watch on their luggage inside the bus cabinets and also the expensive gadgets they are carrying while travelling and while alighting the vehicle. The KSRTC has chosen its electric bus name as ‘EV-Power Plus’ with a tagline ‘e-Xperience e-levated’.

More buses on other routes soon

The KSRTC will operate 25 electric buses from Bengaluru to Madikeri, Virajpet, Davanagere, Shivamogga and Chikkamagaluru. The overwhelming response to the Bengaluru-Mysuru e-bus prompted KSRTC to launch the operations.

KSRTC Managing Director Anbu Kumar said that after the success of the Bengaluru-Mysuru route, the Corporation is expanding operations on five inter-district routes too. By April, the KSRTC will have totally 50 e-buses in operation.

Charging infrastructure has been set up at Bengaluru, Mysuru, Madikeri, Virajpet, Davanagere, Shivamogga and Chikkamagaluru, and the buses are expected to run 300km on a single charge. On the ticket price, he said fares will be higher than ordinary bus fares, but less than the premium Airavata buses.