Taking a step further in enabling more and more environment-friendly transport system in the city, the state transport department rolled out 10 electric buses today.
The buses were flagged off by the state transport minister Firhad Hakim at Kasba depot in the presence of transport secretary Rajesh Kumar Sinha and managing director of West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) Rajanvir Singh Kapur.
Notably, the state transport department had introduced 80 electric buses and 76 charging stations so far. The 10 eco-friendly vehicles trundled today are part of 50 electric buses that are to be rolled out by the state transport department. The remaining 40 are expected to hit the city roads by end of July, according to sources in the department.
Around 1,200 more electric buses under Fame II scheme (guided by CESL) will be inducted soon by the department. Of the total, 400 e-buses are expected to be on road by 2022 and the rest 800 are expected to be on road by 2023, according to WBTC sources.
Apart from this, the design and planning for conversion of one electric ferry, with seating capacity of 100 passengers, is under progress, which is expected to be complete by next few months. The department is also exploring options of introducing electric trolley bus using existing tram electrical power infrastructure.