The evaluation follows Transport Minister Byrathi Suresh’s recent directive to deploy 200 mini‑air‑conditioned electric buses within a 5‑km radius of Metro stations, targeting residential layouts and neighbourhoods that larger buses cannot easily serve.
The 200 mini‑AC buses will form part of the 4,500 electric buses slated for BMTC under the central government’s PM E‑DRIVE scheme, which funds the rollout of electric public‑transport vehicles across the country.
BMTC’s push for smaller vehicles comes after a series of safety incidents involving its earlier fleet of midi buses; two buses caught fire in early 2022, prompting a safety audit that traced the cause to loose starter parts and short‑circuiting in the engine area.
Officials say the corporation remains cautious about expanding its mini‑bus fleet because operating costs per kilometre (CPKM) often exceed earnings per kilometre (EPKM) on low‑density routes. Smaller buses carry fewer passengers but still require a driver and conductor, making revenue generation challenging.
The financial pressure is amplified under the Gross Cost Contract (GCC) model used for many of BMTC’s electric buses, where a private operator owns the vehicle and BMTC pays a fixed per‑kilometre rate regardless of passenger load, increasing the burden on routes with variable demand.
Despite these hurdles, BMTC officials stress that the expanding Namma Metro network heightens the need for reliable feeder services, and the new mini‑bus fleet is expected to play a larger role in linking neighbourhoods to Metro stations.