India gets first electric double-decker bus; service started in Mumbai

New Delhi: India gets its first electric double-decker bus on Thursday after the Union Minister of Road, Transport and Highway Nitin Gadkari launched it. Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Sindhe, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and other senior leaders were also presented. Soon after the launch, the video of the bus also went viral on the internet.

Spotted Mumbai’s new BEST Double Decker Bus! #BEST #DoubleDecker@myBESTBus @chaloapp @m_indicator @mumbaitraffic @RidlrMUM @traffic_mumbai pic.twitter.com/q5qLIxXrmi

— Suraj Wadekar (@WadekarSuraj) August 17, 2022

Launching the bus, Nitin Gadkari said, ”India needs to transform the transport system from a long-term perspective. With a focus on reforming urban transport, we are developing a way to build a low footprint and high passenger density integrated EV mobility ecosystem.”

The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) had planned to induct 900 such buses into its fleet in different phases. For this, the BEST has also given a contract to a private company.

The 50% of the buses are likely to be purchased by March 2023.