Tata Motors, India?s largest commercial vehicle manufacturer, delivered 26 state-of-the-art electric buses to Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST), marking the commencement of the first ever Gross Cost Contract (GCC) electric bus service to BEST. These buses were delivered as a part of the larger order of 340 electric buses from BEST. The rest are lined up to be delivered in a phased manner as per schedule. 

The buses were flagged off by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray at Nariman Point, Mumbai. Procured to Government of India?s FAME II norms, the buses ware on a build, deploy, maintain and operate contract, along with the complete charging infrastructure along with the buses across four Mumbai depots of Backbay, Worli, Malvani, and Shivaji Nagar.

The 25-seater Tata Ultra Urban AC electric buses are equipped with features like lift mechanism that extends an automated ramp for easy ingress and egress of specially abled passengers, along with ergonomic seats, roomy interiors, utility provisions like charging ports, WiFi hotspot for on-the-go connectivity and wide entry and exit passages. The full-electric buses come with Intelligent Transport System (ITS), telematics system, regenerative braking system, amongst other features for efficient and smooth operations. The buses have been tested and validated by Tata Motors across states including Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Assam and Maharashtra to establish performance in diverse terrains.

Under the FAME I initiative, Tata Motors supplied 215 electric buses in five cities across India. The electric buses cumulatively have clocked more than four million kilometres. Tata Motors has also delivered 25 hybrid buses to MMRDA.