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Mumbaikars to get first electric double-decker bus in August

The number of double-deckers in 2019 was 120, which has down to only 48 in 2021. The electric double-deckers will either run on electricity or hydrogen fuel cells, depending on which is more competent, Maharashtra Environment Minister Aaditya Thackrey said.

ET Now Digital

Updated Jun 20, 2022, 14:27 IST

New Delhi: Mumbaikars will get their first electric AC double-decker in the first week of August. The inaugural ceremony of the buses will coincide with the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Foundation Day on August 7.

Last year in October, Maharashtra Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray had said that every bus to be inducted into the BEST fleet will be an electric bus, and that the entire fleet will be converted to electric buses by 2028.

Each double-decker bus will have a capacity of 78-90 passengers. The roll out of the green buses is in line with the BEST's initiative to save the city's iconic double-deckers, which have dropped by 60 per cent in the last two years, according to a ToI report.

A target of 15 per cent public transport based on electric vehicles by 2025 has been set by the government, Mumbai municipal commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal informed. Additionally, the corporation is keen on making 50 per cent of public transport based on electric vehicles by 2023.

Lokesh Chandra, general manager of BEST, said that about 55 places have been selected in the metropolis to charge electric vehicles. "More charging stations will be set up there in the next 3 to 4 months through a public private partnership. This will also enable the general public to charge their vehicles," he added.

BEST, which has lost the number of buses over the years, is set to get its next batch of 225 buses by March 2023 and the remaining 450 by June 2023.

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