Tata Motors delivers 35 electric buses to BEST as part of order of 340 e-buses

Tata Motors on Saturday delivered 35 electric buses to the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST), which provides bus transport service in Mumbai, as part of a larger order of 340 electric buses.

The 35-seater Tata Starbus electric AC buses were flagged off by Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

"The buses are procured by BEST under the Government of India's FAME II initiative, and the delivery is a part of the first ever Gross Cost Contract (GCC) by BEST," the company said in a release.

The Tata Group company will build, deploy, maintain and operate the complete charging infrastructure along with the buses. Tata Motors will deliver the rest of the order in a phased manner, as per the schedule, it said.

The 12-metre long buses are equipped with advanced features like lift mechanism', ergonomic seats, roomy interiors, utility provisions like charging ports and wide entry and exit passages.

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"The full-electric buses come with Intelligent Transport System (ITS), telematics system, regenerative braking system, amongst other features for efficient and smooth operations. The buses have been extensively tested and validated by Tata Motors across varied terrains and conditions and are engineered to deliver high standard of performance," the company said.

Tata Motors has so far supplied 525 electric buses across several states, which have cumulatively clocked more than 15 million kilometres.

The company has been working on alternate fuel technology to provide environment-friendly transportation and mobility solutions, including battery-electric, hybrid, CNG, LNG and hydrogen fuel cell technology. It has also received an order of 15 hydrogen fuel cell buses from Indian Oil Corporation Ltd.

"Tata Motors has been at the forefront of technology innovation with green fuels and has been leading the electric mobility solutions in the country. The delivery of these buses will further fortify our partnership with BEST and help in environment-friendly mass mobility for the city of Mumbai. The unique 'One Tata' initiative will leverage the core proficiencies of various Tata Group companies to offer the best comfort, performance and low cost of operations," Tata Motors Vice President, Product Line - Buses Rohit Srivastava said.

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