APSRTC Mulls Rolling Out 1000 Electric Buses  

Electric buses will be seen on roads in the Andhra Pradesh very soon. The main idea behind the AP government launching air buses is to reduce air and sound pollution. With fuel prices reaching an all-time high, these electric buses will help the AP Government to cut down on fuel expenses. With the increase in diesel prices, RTC is losing Rs 300 crore annually. Recently, the central government had allocated 300 electric buses to AP. A committee of experts in the management of electric buses was appointed by the state Government. Diesel buses cost Rs 38 per km combined with the driver's salary.

An experts committee had given a detailed report in which they clearly stated that an electric bus costs the government Rs 19 per km. The Central Government has given 5,595 buses to 64 cities across India under Fame-2 (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid) and Electric Vehicles (FAME) Scheme. Under Fame -2 Scheme the Centre has given 300 buses to AP state, out of which 50 buses have been allotted to Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Amaravati, Tirupati, and Kakinada cities each. The cost of each bus is Rs.2.18 crores, while the Central government has given a 40% discount. The electric bus is equipped with CC cameras, automatic gears, and has a 31 seat capacity. RTC engineering officials say that the bus will run continuously for seven to eight hours if charged for two hours.

The RTC had earlier proposed to run thousand electric buses in the state this year. In June, RTC submitted proposals to the Department of Heavy Industries (DHI) for the purchase of 1,000 buses. Electric buses are supported by the New and Renewable Energy Development Corporation of Andhra Pradesh (NREDCAP), AP Transco, Andhra Pradesh Southern Power Distribution Company Limited(SPDCL), International Association of Public Transport (UITP) on behalf of the state government. Central Government has already allocated 300 buses to AP, the state government has begun efforts to get the remaining 700 buses from Central Government.

Transportation Department Minister Perni Nani promised RTC Employees that their services would be regularised within two months, and they need not bother about the merger of RTC. They would then become government employees.

RTC Employees Union (EU) officers met Minister Perni Nani and discussed their problems with him, RTC employee say that chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has assured the merger of RTC workers and they are confident that the CM will stand by his word.

Minister Perni Nani responded to the YSRCP’s promised merger of RTC and said that they will take all necessary steps to improve the quality of life of RTC Employees with this merger. RTC Employees will be getting Pension after Retirement with this RTC Merger, he even explained to the employees.

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