Bengaluru : Karnataka has stepped ahead in providing better services to the public transport commuters as it pressed 40 electric buses to the services of Bengaluru City from Monday.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai flagged off the State’s first batch of electric buses in front of Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru. The first batch of 90 electric buses were funded under the Bengaluru Smart City Scheme will be operated as metro feeder services for both first- and last-mile connectivity.

The buses are non-AC, 9-metre long with 33+1 seats, Vehicle Tracking Units, CCTV cameras, LED route display boards and emergency panic button for passenger safety, a statement from the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC).

BMTC has entered into an agreement with M/s. NTPC Vyapar Vidyut Nigam Limited, a Government of India undertaking which will operate these buses for 10 years on Gross Cost Contract (GCC) model at a rate of ₹51.67 per km for 180 assured kilometres daily. Of the 90 buses, 40 have been delivered while the rest will be delivered by January 2022. The 90 buses will be operated from Yeshwantpur, K.R. Puram and Kengeri depots.