Bangalore Corp Eyes Funds Nod For Volvo Buses

The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has sought the Union government's approval to accept Swedish government funds to conduct a feasibility study on the low-floor Volvo city buses. "The state government has forwarded the proposal to the Transport Ministry in New Delhi. We have to approach the ministry, because we are using foreign funds, though transport is a state subject," said BMTC director Pradeep Singh Kharola. The Centre's decision is expected in a week's time. Once the clearance is given, the Swedish embassy will be approached for the funds. The Swedish government had offered funds to conduct the study, and the embassy has promised to clear the funds within a month. BMTC will then appoint a consultant to do the study. The corporation and other state transport corporations will use this study to decide on buying Volvo buses.

 

BMTC, which was bifurcated from KSRTC a year ago, has 2,080 buses to provide transport to Bangalore's five million residents. This year, it will be replacing 400 of them and buy 200 new ones. The approximate cost of the buses it buys now, according to BMTC officials, is Rs 8 lakh.

The Volvo city bus was on trial for 14 days in April and May in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai. More than 20,000 passengers experienced the trial run in the B10BLE _ its technical name. The bus has a low-floor (entrance height of just 320 mm) with no step and has beefed-up air suspensions.

Volvo says that the engine has a life of 16-20 years and conforms to the strict Euro-II pollution control norms. The company has not announced the price of the bus, but maintains that it will offer value for money. B10BLE has a six-cylinder 10-litre diesel engine that can produce 285 hp. The engine comes in three versions including a natural gas version. Fuel consumption, according to Volvo sources, will be half the existing standard in terms of consumption per passenger per km. The bus will be able to carry twice the number of passengers that today's normal city bus carries. The buses will be manufactured at Volvo's plant in Hoskote, near Bangalore, in which the company has pumped in Rs 300 crore.

The $28-billion Swedish company is one of the world's leading bus manufacturers with a wide and modern range of city buses. It offers a range of services, from leasing and financing to participation in the building of complete transport system.

Its B10M is one of the world's largest selling buses that carries up to 100 people. Volvo's environmental concept bus (ECB) can meet absolute zero emission levels as it is fuelled by a gas turbine with high-speed generator, and can run on battery power for alone for short distances.