Tata Motors delivers new buses to KSRTC

Tata Motors has delivered 241 buses to the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC). The buses include a standard 16.2-tonne GVW, 12 m long Tata Urban 9/12 BS-III bus and a 9.6-tonne GVW, midi 8.9 m Tata Ultra Urban 6/9 BS-III bus. While the former has a passenger carrying capacity of 40, the latter can accommodate 30 passengers apart from the driver. The buses were flagged off by chief minister of the state Siddaramaiah, and the transport minister Ramalinga Reddy in the presence of Tata Motors’ officials. The order, processed under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), has resulted in the acquisition of these buses by KSRTC, the Tata Urban 9/12 BS-III variant, is powered by a Tata Cummins, 177 hp, 5.9-litre diesel ISBe engine. The engine is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. Suspension is weveller (leaf spring) in the front and pneumatic in the rear. In the Tata Ultra Urban 6/9 BS-III variant, a 120 hp engine powers the bus. It is mated to a fivespeed manual gearbox. Suspension at both the front and the rear is of parabolic leaf spring type. Meeting Urban Bus Specification II and the revised AIS 052 bus code, the buses are claimed to accelerate faster and subsequently clock good times. The bus body in both buses features a 700 mm gangway and higher passenger legroom for superior passenger comfort and movement. The Intelligent Transport System (ITS) incorporates public information system, an automatic vehicle location system, security network system, vehicle health monitoring apart from diagnostics. The GPRS enabled connectivity enables the bus to connect with the control room for live monitoring. Capable of featuring smart ticketing options, the bus also features an ergonomically designed four-way adjustable driver seat. The wide-angle windshield ensures near uninterrupted visibility. The new batch of buses will add to over 13000 Tata buses that are already a part of KSRTC’s fleet. To help the operator get the most out of its fleet, Tata Motors is additionally investing in special training programs for KSRTC’s drivers and staff.