Bengaluru: After spinners of money, BMTC Volvo buses, introduced to the fleet in 2006, quickly turned into white elephants with the appearance of a pandemic.
With passengers and the consequences of passenger income dropped, and the price of diesel skyrocketed, the country’s transportation business was considering running this bus minus ACS.
This plans to replace the window fixed by sliding.
At present, BMTC only operates 48 of the 860 Volvo buses.
Officials said they planned to change two buses into non-AC and spread them on distance routes such as Bidadi, Attibele, Hoskote, Devanahalli, Doddaballapur and Nelamangala with a pilot base.
The Volvo Bus fades fuel and restores the distance of only 2-2.5km per liter.
Officials hope to increase to 4-4.5kmpl if the bus is converted into non-AC.
“This is a situation done or dead,” said a BMTC official.
“If the experiment works, we will convert more buses to non-AC.
We will get a better mileage on the edge than in the city limits.
Covid-19 situation can continue for one or two years.
We need an out-of-idea -The-box.
The cost of care for these buses has also increased because they have lied on the depot for almost two years.
“While demanding Vajra and Chartered services, especially in technology corridors, falling due to job-from-home arrangements, requests too Plunge for Vayu Vayu services due to restrictions on international travel and reduced flight movements.
Some passengers were also afraid of traveling with AC buses putting them at a higher risk of contracted Covid and this adds to the tribulation of Stu.
It has reduced its AC bus rates to 20% from January 1, but there is no significant increase in passenger brightness.
Even before the pandemic, Volvo has faced hot because taxi-based applications and rental scooters and Metro Namma.
In 2019, the HD Kumaraswamy-LED government had planned to transfer the Volvo AC bus from BMTC to other companies in the state.
But the proposal was removed after opposition from residents.
BMTC has now decided not to induce air conditioning buses in the next few years.
Previously, BMTC had converted several AC Tata Marcopolo buses, inaugurated under JNNURM in 2008, becoming non-AC.
The decision was taken after receiving several complaints including frequent disturbances, dark smoke emissions, poor noise and air conditioning.
But there are some takers for the buses.
There is also a proposal to convert some Marcopolo buses to electricity, but it also does not take off.