India’s first AC double decker electric buses are all set to join the BEST (Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport) fleet by mid-February, more than five months after union minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the service.
The contractor, Switch Mobility, is hopeful of getting the necessary certification soon, said Lokesh Chandra, general manager, BEST Undertaking. “We were supposed to get the first batch in September but getting the certification from Automotive Research Association of India took time. Hopefully, these buses will be on the city roads in February,” he said.
Switch Mobility, a subsidiary of Ashok Leyland, is to deliver 50 buses in the first phase and 10 of them are expected to arrive soon. Each vehicle costs ₹2 crore and it can carry around 90 passengers. BEST plans to introduce a total of 200 such buses, named EiV22.
