Tamil Nadu to buy 640 e-buses, set up 260 charging points
CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government is working out the cost involved in procuring 640 electric buses and setting up 260 charging points for them, and has floated tenders that will close in a week.
Pallavan Transport Consultancy Services (PTCS), which functions under the transport department, has invited bids for direct supply of e-buses under the central government’s FAME II (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles) scheme.
The Tamil Nadu government is working out the cost involved in procuring 640 electric buses and setting up 260 charging points for them
Earlier, bids floated by Institute of Road Transport (IRT), another agency under the department, had mentioned that procurement for the FAME II scheme will be made under gross cost contract (GCC) mode. But the new tenders floated by PTCS for the same scheme do not mention this.
In GCC mode, the private operator will own and maintain the buses and charging stations set up at depots. The buses will not be operated by state transport corporation drivers, an arrangement that was opposed by transport workers’ unions.
A transport department official said the GCC mode was chosen as it will not put the government at risk in the the scheme that involves huge money. Instead they can learn about the emerging technology from private suppliers. “Realising this, private suppliers who applied for IRT’s earlier bids, quoted high prices. This will force the state to spend more than the budget,” he added.
The Centre is expected to provide a subsidy of only Rs 50 lakh-Rs 55 lakh for each e-bus whose costs range between Rs 1.5 crore and Rs 2 crore. The state will have to spend the rest from its annual budget.
This is why fresh tenders were floated by PTCS for procuring e-buses under the same scheme. This will give the government an idea about the actual cost and about which bidders submitted overpriced bids earlier. After considering new proposals, the cost involved will be worked out and buses will be procured under the GCC model, the official added.
Two different e-bus models are likely to hit TN roads soon. The first one will be nine-metres long and have a seating capacity of 32. The other, a 12-metre model, can accommodate up to 40 passengers at a time. Both models will allow 20-30 people to travel standing.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes
