First publishedon www.ITSInternational.com
The Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) is to deploy 15 electric buses in Guwahati, a city in north-east India.
The project is part of the Indian government’s FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles) scheme.
A report by Business Standard says each bus will carry up to 31 passengers along a 6.4km route between the neighbourhoods of Kachari and Kamakhya.
ASTC will operate a second service along a 38km route from the Inter State Bus Terminal while also running another service in the neighbourhood of Paltan Bazar across a 25km route.
Anand Prakash Tiwari, managing director of ASTC, is quoted as saying: “[The] government of India is trying to bring emission-free transport as soon as possible. Buses will be operational likely within this month, they will be emission-free.”
ASTC is not the only company seeking to promote EVs under the country’s FAME initiative. In March, Bharat Heavy Electricals announced its plans to set-up a network of solar-based EV chargers on the Delhi-Chandigarh Highway in India to help alleviate range anxiety for drivers.