PANJIM: The Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited (KTCL) has decided to deploy 10 new Electric Vehicles (EVs) for the upcoming G20 meetings in Goa. The government is currently in the procurement stage of 48 new electric vehicles (EVs) for operation under the Smart City project in Panjim and the KTC plans to use 10 electric buses to serve delegates of the upcoming G20 meetings starting from April 17.
The electric mini-buses being deployed have been procured under the FAME-II (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid & Electric Vehicles in India) scheme. Interestingly, the automatic fare collection system will enable passengers to pay for their tickets electronically through a QR code, without the need for a conductor. The use of advanced technology such as the integration of Intelligent Transport Management System (ITMS), GPS tracking and other features will also allow the passengers to track the location of the bus in real-time, choose the optimal route, and plan trips. Furthermore, passengers will be able to access real-time information such as bus details, vehicle location, expected time of arrival, and travel duration on their smart phones. The LED displays on the buses that flash pick-up and drop points, and the displays on the smart bus stops that show the timings of the EVs, will also help passengers plan their trips more efficiently.
Transport Director Rajan Satardekar said, “The G20 Summit is a prestigious event and deploying the EVs will add value to it. The government is keen to host the delegates in a nice manner and there is no better way to do that than using EVs instead of several small vehicles,” he said. General Manager, Derek Pereira Neto revealed that special permission has been granted to KTC to operate the electric mini-buses for the G20 Summit in the State.
