Electric buses can cut pollution levels, says expert

LUCKNOW: Buses with a capacity of over 50 passengers will zoom past you and you won’t even hear the noise of their engine! Well that could be a reality in Lucknow after the introduction of 150 electric buses in Bengaluru in 2018.

“This could happen in any place and even in Uttar Pradesh, if an agency such as UPSRTC takes up the task,” said Pawan Mulukutla, head (transport) with World Resources Institute (WRI) India that conducted a workshop ‘Redesigning and Reimaging Streets for All’ in the city on Saturday.

Electric buses that have been deployed on trial basis in New Delhi, Mumbai and in Manali are a success and now Bengaluru is going to be the first place after that to adopt it in a big way to cut down air and noise pollution.

Manali, which had four buses, is going to increase the number up to 25 soon.

Explaining about the utility and resource building for switching over to electrical buses as mass transport system, Pawan stated that different buses could be deployed for different routes – big ones for main roads and smaller ones (with seating capacity of 8 or 12) for connecting routes.

These buses come with options of overnight charging and intermediary charging, depending upon the need.

“The buses cost between ₹1.5 crore and ₹2.2 crore. If you do not want the government to bear the entire expense, business models can be developed bringing in entrepreneurs, bus manufacturers and battery manufacturers, as battery too is a major (financial) component in such buses,” he said, adding: “The idea is to cut air pollution and related problems.”

Recently, Lucknow’s air pollution level had reached ‘severe category’ with PM2.5 level going beyond the 650 mark. Studies say that 10% of the total air pollution is contributed by vehicles, but in Bengaluru, vehicles contribute to 45% of air pollution.

“The benefit is electrical buses reduce pollution and their operating cost too is very low with no engine wear and tear. The drawback is high cost, which can be taken care with good business model,” said Pawan.