Double decker buses back in Hyderabad, KTR flags off 3 EVs ahead of Formula-E

HYDERABAD: Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) Minister K T Rama Rao and Chief Secretary A Shanti Kumari flagged off three Electric Double Decker buses on Tuesday, along with Chevella MP G Ranjith Reddy, Chandrayangutta MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi and Special Chief Secretary of MA&UD Arvind Kumar.

With the Formula E-prix scheduled in Hyderabad on February 11, these buses would be predominantly plying around the race track covering Tank Bund, Necklace Road, Paradise and Nizam College stretch. After February 11, the buses would be used along a heritage circuit to augment tourism for the city.

Double Decker buses had a historical relevance in Hyderabad. The conventional double decker buses were started by the Nizam and plied in the city up until 2003.

Following a request from a citizen on Twitter, KTR, reminiscing fond memories of traveling in those buses, instructed officials to explore the possibility of bringing back double decker buses.

After this, Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) placed an order for six Electric Double Decker buses out of which three buses were delivered and inaugurated. The remaining three buses are also expected soon. The HMDA planned to extend this fleet up to 20 buses. The price of each bus is Rs 2.16 crore and comes with an AMC of seven years.

The buses have a seating capacity of 65 passengers plus a driver. These buses are completely electric with a range of 150 km in a single charge and can be charged fully in 2-2.5 hours. The total length of these buses is 9.8 m and height is 4.7 m.