Tirupati: TTD To Expand Electric Bus Fleet From 15 To 50 Ahead Of Brahmotsavams
The expansion includes 25 e-buses being donated by Reliance. Rest of the additional buses will be procured by the temple administration: Reports
TIRUPATI: Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) is planning to expand its electric bus fleet in Tirumala hills from the existing 15 buses to 50 before the annual Srivari Brahmotsavams, slated in September, as part of its efforts to strengthen eco-friendly transport facilities for devotees.
The expansion includes 25 e-buses being donated by Reliance. Rest of the additional buses will be procured by the temple administration.
TTD additional executive officer (EO) Ch. Venkaiah Chowdary held a meeting with representatives of the Reliance group in Tirumala on Tuesday to discuss the details of charging stations, power supply, driver arrangements, and other infrastructure requirements.
The Additional EO asked officials to complete all arrangements to make the electric buses fully operational by Brahmotsavams. He said the buses should be used effectively to provide better transport services for devotees in Tirumala.
TTD has proposed a charging station with a capacity of handling 50 e-buses. The facility will have 10 charging points, enabling 20 buses to be charged at a time. The 2 MW charging system will ensure faster charging of vehicles.
Each bus will have a capacity to carry 50 passengers. Officials have been asked to keep 50 trained drivers ready for operating the fleet.
Bus services will be free for passengers. Buses will be operated in two shifts, 25 buses in each shift. A bus will be available to devotees every two minutes.
Venkaiah Chowdary directed officials to identify suitable parking space and coordinate with Reliance representatives for early completion of the charging infrastructure. He asked officials to install a passenger information system in the buses to provide details of upcoming stops.
Those who attended the meeting included TTD Estate officer Venkateswarlu, IT GM Venkatesh Naidu, Electrical DE Chandra Sekhar, Transport DM Lakshmi Prasanna, Reliance vice president Karthik Ganesan, and senior general managers Raghavendra and Vinod.
