6 months ago
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Minister for Transport Ramalinga Reddy has written to Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy raising superior concerns implicit the ‘poor show and deficiency of accountability’ among backstage operators managing electrical buses nether the Gross Cost Contract (GCC) exemplary successful Bengaluru.
Sharing his missive to Union Minister astatine a property league held connected Monday, Mr. Reddy said respective operators, including NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam, Tata Motors Limited (TML) Smart City Mobility Solutions, Switch Mobility, and OHM Global Mobility, person fallen importantly abbreviated of expected work standards which resulted successful breakdowns, predominant strikes, and rider inconvenience.
While lauding the Centre’s propulsion for electrical mobility nether FAME-II and CESL initiatives, Mr. Reddy said the operational ratio of these firms has stained the estimation of some Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation and the metropolis arsenic a progressive metropolis.
The deficiency of structured operator training, mediocre conveyance maintenance, and reduced manpower deployment arsenic debased arsenic 1.9 to 2.0 employees per autobus against the required 2.3 person led to work disruptions and a spike successful accidents.
E-bus cancellations triple BMTC diesel buses
Data furnished by Mr. Reddy shows that the percent of cancellations successful GCC-operated e-buses was astir 3 times higher than that of BMTC’s accepted diesel fleet. For instance, electrical buses operated by TML reported 3.86% cancellations, portion those nether OHM recorded 10.81%. Similarly, the fig of breakdowns, peculiarly owed to artillery failures, was precocious with 2,120 incidents reported by TML unsocial betwixt 2023 and 2025.
Mr. Reddy highlighted that the BMTC’s diesel buses, which tally implicit 65,000 trips regular with 5,423 vehicles, support a debased mishap complaint of 0.05 per lakh kilometre. In contrast, the electrical buses grounds 0.07 accidents per lakh kilometres.
Meanwhile, the Transport Minister besides drew attraction to predominant flash strikes by electrical autobus drivers implicit wage delays and festival bonuses, resulting successful large-scale work cancellations and dense gross losses. Between 2024 and 2025, the BMTC reportedly mislaid ₹92.90 lakh successful gross from 3 backstage operators owed to these strikes, with thousands of kilometres of scheduled trips cancelled.
“Systemic negligence and lack of accountability person adjacent resulted successful fatalities. Twenty 4 fatal accidents were recorded successful 2023 to 2025 (till September) nether the purview of GCC operators,” Mr. Reddy said.
Need broad show reappraisal
Seeking the Centre’s contiguous intervention, Mr. Reddy urged Mr. Kumaraswamy to behaviour a broad show reappraisal of each GCC operators nether FAME-II and CESL projects, with peculiar accent connected information compliance and operator training.
He besides recommended incorporating binding clauses successful aboriginal tenders mandating certified operator grooming programmes earlier deployment and called for a associated monitoring mechanics betwixt the Ministry of Heavy Industries and State Transport Utilities to guarantee adherence to information and work benchmarks.
Mr. Reddy said, “Corrective steps indispensable beryllium taken successful the larger involvement of commuter payment and the credibility of India’s e-mobility initiatives.”
