Funded under the Bengaluru Smart City Scheme, the first batch of 90 electric buses were flagged-off by Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

These new electric buses will be operated as metro feeder services for first and last-mile connectivity.

Out of 90 buses, 40 have been delivered and the rest will be delivered by January 2022. They will be operated from Yeshwantpur, K.R. Puram and Kengeri depots.

"These buses are non-AC, 9-metre long with 33+1 seats, Vehicle Tracking Units, CCTV, LED route display boards and emergency panic button for passenger safety," the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) said in a statement.

NTPC Vyapar Vidyut Nigam Limited, a Government of India undertaking, will operate these buses for ten years on Gross Cost Contract (GCC) model, reports The Hindu.

In November, Switch Mobility, the electric vehicle arm of Ashok Leyland, secured an order to supply and operate 300, 12-metre electric buses for Bengaluru's public transport agency BMTC (Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation).

The fleet and charging infrastructure will be supplied, operated and maintained by Switch Mobility for a period of 12-years on a Gross Cost Contract (GCC) Model under the union government's Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric & Hybrid Vehicles FAME-II scheme.

Besides cost savings for BMTC, the electric buses of Ashok Leyland are expected to reduce fuel consumption by around 5.5 million litres per year, leading to a reduction in carbon emissions by more than 14,500 tonnes annually.