BMTC launches 10 electric Vayu Vajra buses to Bengaluru airport

Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy @RLR_BTM flagged off 10 new AC electric ‘Vayu Vajra’ buses to Bengaluru airport.

Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy on Thursday flagged off 10 air-conditioned electric 'Vayu Vajra' buses in Bengaluru for service to Kempegowda International Airport (KIA). The buses were flagged of as part of a larger initiative to add 320 new electric buses to the BMTC fleet under the Gross Cost Contract (GCC) model, The New Indian Express reported.

As per the report, of 320 new electric buses, 85 will serve the KIA routes and 235 will be deployed for Vajra city services.

The event was held at KIA Terminal 2. The new buses will operate on 11 airport routes, connecting key parts of the city to KIA. These include HAL Main Gate, Banashankari TTMC, Art of Living Ashram, Kadugodi Bus Station, HSR Layout, Kempegowda Bus Station, Mysore Road Bus Station, Royal Meenakshi Mall, and Whitefield TTMC, covering important transit points such as Jayanagar, Shantinagar, Whitefield, ITPL, Koramangala, MG Road, Shivajinagar, Mekhri Circle, Vijayanagar, Yeshwanthpur, and Budigere, the report added.

The new 12-metre buses feature a 400-mm low floor, 283 kWh battery capacity, and can run up to 225 km a day. Each bus has a seating capacity of 35, with space for a wheelchair, high-back ergonomic seats, USB charging ports, vehicle tracking, CCTV cameras, panic buttons for women’s safety, fire detection, and suppression systems, and accessibility features. As per the report, the BMTC has also installed nine chargers with a combined 240 kW capacity at KIA’s P7 parking area as well.