Mumbai's BEST soon to get its first electric double-decker bus

Mumbai will soon get the first batch of electric double-decker buses. One of them was recently spotted on the roads near Mumbai, as the launch of electric double-deckers in the city gets near. A video shared on social media shows one of the buses, which are manufactured by Switch Mobility, running on one of the expressways heading towards Sion. Mumbai is expected to get 900 electric double-decker buses to help transform public transport in the city soon.

The electric double-decker bus seen in the video is called Metrodecker. According to Switch Mobility, these buses are the ‘lightest in its class with the largest capacity and the longest range’. The Metrodecker is currently operational in cities like London. The length of the electric double-decker ranges between 10.5 metre and 11.1 metre, can seat up to 99 passengers, is powered by a 250kW electric motor and has a range of over 300 kms on a single charge.

The electric double-decker bus to ply in Mumbai is likely to have a seating capacity of up to 90 passengers. The city is expected to get at least 450 such electric double-decker buses by March next year. The first electric double decker bus is expected to undergo trials after delivery and will officially hit the roads from September.

According to reports, the first electric double decker bus is expected to be commissioned by Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) within the next couple of weeks. Earlier, it was expected to be launched in first week of the month to coincide with the BEST Foundation Day on August 7. BEST currently has more than 400 single decker electric buses and 48 non-AC double-deckers ferrying passengers on 16 routes across Mumbai. Aaditya Thackeray, former Environment Minister of Maharashtra, has said last year that the BEST's entire fleet will be converted to electric buses by 2028.