The first lot of the 15 long-awaited electric feeder buses of the Kochi metro will arrive here by the end of September to operate services from metro stations to traffic-generating points and in the metro’s feeder corridors which do not have adequate public transport.
They would be based at the metro’s depot at Muttom, where they would be recharged overnight. In addition, opportunity charging (recharging at short intervals) would be done at Vyttila, Kaloor and Aluva metro stations, sources said.
Each of these electric buses will have seating for 32 passengers and will be much the same as the e-buses that are operating intra-city services in Thiruvananthapuram. The sole difference will be that the Kochi metro’s feeder buses will be air-conditioned. The price tag of each bus from the stable of Eicher is ₹90 lakh, while their routes will be announced shortly.
Officials at Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) are now busy arranging recharging infrastructure to provide uninterrupted power supply for the fleet of buses. Their fare stage will be finalised shortly in keeping with the government-approved fare structure, it is learnt.
The operating time of the buses will be determined by the end of September. Each bus will have a travel range of 160 km. Their exterior colour will be finalised within a few days.
More e-buses would be procured in keeping with the demand from commuters on various routes in the Greater Kochi area to augment first- and last-mile connectivity from metro stations, sources said.
The 15 buses are being purchased using KMRL funds. Although Cochin Smart Mission Limited was expected to pool in with financial help, it was temporarily dropped due to delay on the part of the government in forming a dedicated special purpose vehicle to operate the buses and also the roll on-roll off ferries that operate between Fort Kochi and Vypeen.
Published - September 18, 2024 01:48 am IST
