Mangaluru: Private bus operators on the Mangaluru-Kundapur-Byndoor and Mangaluru–Manipal routes are gearing up to test electric buses, amid rising diesel prices.Sadanand Chatra, vice-president of the Canara Bus Owners’ Association, said a preliminary meeting of operators will be held on Aug 7 in Udupi, where a private mobility company will showcase electric bus models and hold technical discussions.Chatra said that this is an exploratory stage, and if things are in place and provided govt extends support with adequate charging infrastructure, e-buses can become a reality on these routes.He said that the team of operators had recently visited Prawaas 5.0 multimodal passenger transport show in Gujarat, and had looked at e-buses. The road to introducing e-buses is not smooth, as it requires high investment and lack of charging infrastructure are other roadblocks, including Karnataka’s comprehensive area scheme, where new stage services are largely reserved for Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), leaving private operators worried about big investments.Chatra said private operators have also been hit by the Shakti Scheme and fluctuating diesel prices. According to him, buses don’t have long halt time, and charging points must be available at bus stands, with municipalities and corporations having to step in with space and power support.He said that while electric buses currently offer a range of about 250–300 km per charge, and cannot be charged with passengers onboard due to safety norms, this makes quick charging stations at key points like Mangaluru, Udupi and Kundapur critical. He said that operators from other districts, including Shivamogga and Madikeri, are also expected to attend the meet, and noted that if electric or air-conditioned buses are introduced in future, operators may consider running some non-stop services.If all factors fall in place, we may see even 20–25 electric buses as an initial step, he added.Another operator said that after looking if performance of e-buses is better than diesel vehicles, then it can be considered. Canara Bus Owners’ Association caters to thousands of travellers on a daily basis, including Canara Combined Transport (CCT), which caters to around 27,000 daily passengers using prepaid cards.
