Mangaluru to get first private electric passenger bus on city route on February 26

Mangaluru will debut its first private electric passenger bus on February 26, enhancing eco-friendly transport options in the city.

Coastal Karnataka, known for enterprising people, will get the first electric bus in the private passenger transport segment in Mangaluru this week. Ganesh Prasad Travels intends to deploy an EV vehicle in Mangaluru on Mangaladevi-State Bank-Mangaladevi City Route 27 on February 26.

Dilraj Alva, proprietor of Ganesh Prasad Travels told The Hindu, that he has procured a 9-metre long, 35-seat electric bus from Pune-based Neuton Auto, a new-age electric bus original equipment manufacturer, certified under Make in India.

“My father, late Narayan Alva, would always say that we should deploy air-conditioned buses on the route,” Mr. Alva said, noting that with the new EV, his father’s ambition and his ambition (of conserving nature) would be fulfilled. ”I am always keen on adapting new technologies and initiatives, and this has been one.

He does not plan to set up a charging station. Instead, the EV bus will be charged at public charging points in the city. With a full fast or slow charge, for two or five hours, respectively, the EV could clock about 200 km each day while his daily operation per bus is about 175 km.

Mr. Alva said five like-minded persons have established Charge Mobility Private Limited to foray into the EV segment. Besides assisting local operators to switch over to EVs, the company would compete in national-level competitive bidding to provide EVs across segments, he said.

Mr. Alva was the first to introduce wide, middle and front entries with pneumatic doors, on the lines of Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) after the Central Government introduced the Urban Bus Body Code in 2015.