KSRTC to purchase 350 electric buses for Karnataka

Mangaluru: Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) will soon purchase 350 electric buses for the state, said KSRTC Chairman M Chandrappa on Tuesday.

Addressing a press conference in the city, Chandrappa said that a proposal for purchasing 350 e-buses has been submitted to the Chief Minister.

As many as 50 e-buses will arrive within a month. The remaining 300 buses will be added in the next phase. On a trial basis, electric buses will begin running on October 15, he noted.

Further, he said that during the Covid-19 pandemic, KSRTC could not buy new buses. Buses that have run more than 9 lakh km will be refurbished and reused.

He also explained that 50 Volvo buses with modern facilities will also be purchased.

He added that there is a plan to merge four KSRTC divisions, with the exception of BMTC, to cut operating costs. Further, the suggestion to include e-ticket systems is being looked into, however, the ticket prices will not be increased for the facility, he said.