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 today in the presence of Chevella MP G Ranjith Reddy, Chandrayangutta MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi and Special Chief Secretary of MA&UD Arvind Kumar here on Tuesday.
With the Formula E-Prix scheduled in Hyderabad on February 11, these buses will be predominantly plying around the race track covering Tank Bund, Necklace Road, Paradise and Nizam College stretch. After February 11, the buses are planned to be used along a heritage circuit to augment tourism in the city.
Double Decker buses have 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 travelling in those buses, instructed the officials to explore the possibility of bringing back double-decker buses.
As per his instructions, Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) placed an order for six Electric Double Decker buses out of which three buses were delivered and inaugurated today. The remaining three buses are also expected soon. HMDA plans to extend this fleet up to 20 buses. The price of each bus is 2.16 Crores and comes with an AMC of 7 years.
The buses have a seating capacity of 65 passengers plus a driver. These buses are completely electric with a range of 150 KMs in a single charge and can be charged fully in 2-2.5 hours.The total length of these buses is 9.8m and the height is 4.7m. (INN)