In Mumbai, the double-decker buses were considered to be an icon. However, it was removed and only single-decker buses were allowed to operate. Now, BEST has reintroduced them but in an electric avatar! The city has received AC electric double-decker buses and by mid-2024, Mumbai will get as many as 700 of these.
By Mid-2024, Mumbai To Get 700 Electric Double Decker Buses!
And Mumbai, which has been slowly replacing its iconic old double decker fleet with new electric ones :) pic.twitter.com/5dAn39kIDv
— Siddharth Singh (@siddharth3) August 17, 2023
A month after receiving a notice from the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST), the private company Causis E-Mobility has now committed to delivering the buses by the middle of 2024. According to Hindustan Times report, the company had allegedly failed to deliver 700 electric double-decker buses under a contract awarded to them.
The announcement appears to have benefited BEST, whose general manager Vijay Singhal provided the news. According to him, Causis E-Mobility has now committed to delivering 700 electric double-decker buses by May 2024.
According to the contract, Causis has neither provided the prototype nor any buses. Consequently, a blacklisting notification was delivered to the business. Sources in the BEST claimed that blacklisting Causis E-Mobility and gradually ending the contract would have damaged the company’s reputation. According to the regulators, the corporation did not provide a particular explanation for the delay.
Also Read: Now Travel Between Bengaluru And Mysuru By AC & Non-AC Electric Buses Equipped With Wi-Fi
The failure to provide a prototype and then the fleet had not occurred by the contract as of October 2021.
Causis E-Mobility & Switch Mobility To Provide These Buses
Two companies were given the contract to supply 900 double-decker electric buses. Causis E-Mobility will provide 700 and Switch Mobility is producing the final 200 double-decker e-buses.
On the other side, Switch Mobility appears to have finally streamlined the supply of AC double-decker e-buses. The BEST fleet now includes twelve AC double-decker e-buses to replace the single-decker AC buses on the Cuffe Parade and Nariman Point routes. There are now 24 electric AC double-deckers in the fleet overall.
These brand-new double-deckers will begin operating in less than a week after they have finished the RTO registration process. The AC e-double deckers will be used on routes from CSMT, Gateway, Juhu, BKC, RC Church and Tardeo, and BEST is considering expanding the routes for these vehicles.
Also Read: After Mumbai, Bengaluru To Introduce AC Double-Decker Electric Buses Next Month
Each bus costs about ₹2 crore, and BEST will lease them to you for ₹56 per kilometre.
Cover Image Courtesy: Pedal and Tring Tring/ Twitter