Twenty-six AC electric buses have joined the fleet of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking, with Tata Motors Ltd delivering the first batch of a larger order of 340 buses under the Central government’s FAME II initiative.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray flagged off the 25-seater Tata Ultra Urban 9/9 electric AC buses at Nariman Point on Friday. The delivery marks the commencement of the BEST’s first-ever gross cost contract electric bus service. The remaining buses are lined up to be delivered in phases as per schedule.
Tata Motors said it would build, deploy, maintain and operate the charging infrastructure and the buses across four BEST depots: Backbay, Worli, Malvani and Shivaji Nagar.
Girish Wagh, president, Commercial Vehicle Business Unit, Tata Motors, said, “The electric buses have been specially designed keeping the comfort and convenience of Mumbaikars in mind, including a “lift mechanism” for differently-abled travellers. Our global standards of manufacturing processes and vehicle development centres have helped in innovating and leading the electric mobility solutions from the front.”
Under the unique ‘One Tata’ initiative, the company leverages the core competences of various group companies. Tata Power will be contributing by taking charge of upstream and downstream electrical facilities, including supplies, and will be responsible for the bus charging facility.
Tata Auto Components will undertake collaborations, design, development, sourcing and supply of select components to Tata Motors under the initiative. The electric buses are indigenously developed using latest technology to offer the best comfort to passengers and low-cost of operations for BEST.
