On Monday, the very first air-conditioned double-decker electrical bus in the country was added to the BEST fleet in Mumbai, India, after a delay of many months, according to officials. BEST is a public civic transport organization.

Before entering public circulation, the moisture e-bus will be certified by the State Road Transport Office. This vehicle will likely operate on suburban routes where conventional diesel-powered double-decker buses now operate.

Lokesh Chandra, general manager of Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) Organisation, stated that they are slated to get 20 double-decker air-conditioned e-buses by Switch Mobility, a division of automobile manufacturer Ashok Leyland, by the end of March. He stated that the number of double-decker e-buses would reach 200 by the end of the year.

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"Today is a momentous occasion. A new electric version of Mumbai's iconic double-decker buses is being brought into public service. This vehicle will be presented to the public very soon," Chandra said, adding that these buses will operate along the usual double-decker bus routes between south Mumbai and the city's suburbs.

Unlike typical double-decker buses, the revolutionary e-bus features two doors and an equivalent number of steps for gaining access to top decks. Among other amenities, the new buses will feature digital booking, CCTV cameras, continuous tracking, digital displays, and an emergency panic button.

These buses will charge the same fare as single-decker air-conditioned buses.

According to BEST, the passenger carrying capacity of double-decker e-buses is nearly double that of their single-decker counterparts. The new vehicles have a sitting capability of sixty-five and a standing capacity of ninety to one hundred passengers.

The prototype air-conditioned e-bus of such a country was introduced on August 17, 2022, in Mumbai by Union minister Nitin Gadkari, who also announced BEST's plans to operate double-decker e-buses in public service beginning in October 2022, following certification and registration.

Executives from Switch Mobility stated that the accreditation was delayed mostly owing to the Centre's altered certification methodology.

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Having secured the certificate from the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), given the role of the double-decker, e-buses will commence at a Patalganga, Raigad district, Maharashtra workshop.

Presently, BEST maintains less than fifty diesel-powered double-decker buses, which include a few open-top buses. Most of these buses are close to the end of service (the everyday life of machines/equipment per shift). Therefore, BEST has chosen to offer double-decker e-buses on a wet-sharing basis in which private operators are responsible for vehicle upkeep and driver expenses.

Chandra stated that the BEST has 3,300 buses and 400 single-decker e-buses and transports approximately 34 lakh passengers daily. The BEST has given contracts for adding 3,000 additional e-buses, including 900 double-decker e-buses, to its fleet.