Come September, hybrid AC buses to debut at BKC

Commuters travelling from Bandra Kurla Complex to Sion, Bandra and Kurla railway stations would now have to wait longer for the Air-Conditioned (AC) hybrid bus services to start. The hybrid bus services, which aim to ease congestion and provide better connectivity, will be operated by the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST).

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) was supposed to launch the bus service by August. However, the launch has been delayed by a month. MMRDA officials cited that buses are being registered in the Regional Transport Office after which the service will be started within BKC and Bandra, and in between Kurla and Sion railway stations.

The authority will launch five buses and the rest of the buses will start plying in a year's time thereafter. A senior official said, "The buses are being registered and the launch is likely to be pushed to September. If we get a good response from commuters, then we may extend the routes to other suburban areas of the city."

The BKC area, known as a mega business hub of the city, witnesses a footfall of over five lakh daily. On an average, more than one lakh vehicles ply within BKC. This poses a major problem to BKC commuters to reach the suburban railway station due to traffic congestion on the road during peak hours.

Moreover, even a private vehicle takes more than an hour to reach the nearest railway stations of Bandra and Kurla from BKC.

The eco-friendly buses were purchased from Tata Motors Ltd and each bus costs around Rs 1 crore. They are air-conditioned 32-seater hybrid series buses. MMRDA will be introducing 25 buses in total. TATA will supply five buses every month.

With a BS IV compliant diesel power the hybrid buses feature a fully electric drive train with onboard charging. The minimum fare will be Rs 15 and maximum fare will be Rs 25. The buses will operate both on diesel and battery and could run for 24 hours on the road till charged again.