Double Decker buses back on Hyderabad roads!

With the Formula E-prix scheduled in Hyderabad on February 11, these buses will be predominantly plying around the race track covering Tank Bund, Necklace Road, Paradise and Nizam College stretch

Hyderabad: Double Decker buses are back on Hyderabad roads. And this time, they are electric!

Three electric double decker buses were flagged off by Municipal Administration & Urban Development Minister KT Rama Rao and Chief Secretary A Santhi Kumari in the presence of Chevella MP G Ranjith Reddy and Chandrayangutta MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi, here on Tuesday.

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With the Formula E-prix scheduled in Hyderabad on February 11, these buses will be predominantly plying around the race track covering Tank Bund, Necklace Road, Paradise and Nizam College stretch. After February 11, the buses are planned to be used along a heritage circuit to augment tourism for the city.

Double decker buses have a historical relevance in Hyderabad and the conventional double decker buses which were started by the Nizam, plied in the city up until 2003. Following a request from a citizen on Twitter, the MA&UD Minister, reminiscing fond memories of traveling in those buses, instructed the officials to explore the possibility of bringing back double decker buses.

As per his instructions, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) placed an order for six electric double decker buses out of which three buses were delivered and inaugurated on Tuesday. The remaining three buses are also expected soon and the HMDA plans to extend this fleet up to 20 buses. The price of each bus is Rs.2.16 crore and comes with an AMC of seven years.

The buses have a seating capacity of 65 passengers plus driver and are completely electric with a range of 150 km in a single charge and can be charged fully in 2 hours to 2.5 hours.