[TusharK]

The Government of Goa has inducted a bio-fuel powered bus in its state transport fleet.



The 36-seater bus built by Scania was flagged off from the Adil Shah Palace in Panaji by the Governor of Goa, Mridula Sinha. The Government of Goa plans to launch 40 such eco-friendly buses in the state by February 2018. The Governor stated that the bio fuel generated at the solid waste management plant located at Saligao will be used to power the bus.

Two more Scania buses running on ethanol were also launched as a part of the 3 month pilot project. These 3 buses will be a part of the currently operational state-run Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited (KTCL).

Source: ETAuto

[paragsachania]

Whenever I read something that says "first in the country, largest in India" etc, I always remember most of these are media one liners.

No wonder I could very well recall that KSRTC had already done this before (Dec 2015), and incidentally these were Scania buses too!!


Image Source

KSRTC inducts country's first bio-diesel buses; 25 Scania vehicles flagged off

The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) inducted the country’s first bio-diesel buses into its fleet on Saturday.

Speaking after flagging off 25 luxury multi-axle Scania buses at the KSRTC depot here, Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said bio-diesel was cheaper than diesel and was eco-friendly.

Rajender Kumar Kataria, Managing Director, KSRTC said the emission levels of bio-diesel buses were 60 to 70% lesser than diesel buses, with mileage and engine efficiency being unaffected.

“The bus manufacturer Scania was given the contract to provide 25 diesel buses. But we decided to procure retrofitted bio-diesel buses, instead of diesel ones, after the trial. The retrofitted buses can be run on diesel or a mix of bio-diesel and diesel, without any engine modifications,” Kataria said.

He said a company from Telangana will supply bio-diesel for the buses. “There are a few producers of bio-diesel at present. The production will, for sure, increase with the increase in demand.”

The 25 new buses will be deployed on the Bengaluru-Kundapur, Bengaluru-Bidar, Bengaluru-Tirupati and Bengaluru-Chennai routes, with no changes in the prices.

“All high-end buses to be procured in the future will be retrofitted with bio-diesel kits. The KSRTC will run the existing fleet of ordinary diesel buses on a blend of 20% biodiesel and 80% diesel, without any engine modification, to make them eco-friendly,” Kataria said

Source

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted by TusharK

The Government of Goa has introduced India's first bio-fuel powered bus in its state transport fleet.

Good move.

But I doubt if this initiative by Goa Government can claim to be India's first. Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has been operating 100% biofuel run buses on a few long distance routes since 2016. Even before that, the corporation, along with Bangalore Metropolitan Transportation Corporation (BMTC) was using diesel-biofuel in 80-20 ratio to run a few buses.

SOURCE:

Bangalore Mirror

Deccan Herald

Edit: I see that paragbhai has overtaken me!

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by TusharK

The 36-seater multi-axle bus built by Scania ... the bio fuel generated at the solid waste management plant located at Saligao will be used to power the bus.

This is no multi-axle bus. Our journalists must take time to proof-read what they dish out


(Image credit: Hemant Bhat)

This is one of the 3 buses flagged off. Clearly, it's a Scania CityWide city bus, running on Biogas.

IIRC, Nagpur had Scania city buses running on Ethanol as a pilot project.

Originally Posted by paragsachania

KSRTC had already done this before ...

Originally Posted by dailydriver

Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has been operating 100% biofuel run buses on a few long distance routes since 2016...

AFAIK, KaSRTC operates buses that use Bio-Diesel, not Biogas or ethanol. To the best of my knowledge, there aren't any Biogas/LNG/CNG powered intercity coaches operated commercially in India as on date.

[sandeepmohan]

Good move. I like that these small towns or UT's take initiatives like this to keep air quality in check. Small fleets like these won't make a day and night difference but it is a step in the right direction. I hope there will be a steady supply of fuel and the right people assigned to maintain these buses.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by silversteed

AFAIK, KaSRTC operates buses that use Bio-Diesel, not Biogas or ethanol.

Thanks silversteed and yes you are right but the news article reports this a first "Bio-fuel" powered bus just to say that this is using fuel developed through contemporary process.

To the best of my knowledge, there aren't any Biogas/LNG/CNG powered intercity coaches operated commercially in India as on date.

Well, I recollect this very well that Gujarat operated most of its Inter City fleet on CNG a decade before.

When I started to travel regularly to this part of the country, I noticed "CNG" on most of these Inter City buses and have even taken these couple of times - Ahmedabad - Rajkot, Rajkot - Junagarh and noticed something very different from regular buses; These were really silent performers and I have absolutely no clue if this was to do with the Fuel .
In fact, few years back, shortage of CNG also resulted in upsetting the schedule of these buses (and this dates back to 2009!)



Image Courtesy : Flickr

Acute shortage of CNG filling stations across cities in central Gujarat is causing delays in the travel timings of passengers relying on the Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) buses.

GSRTC is the only state transport undertaking in the country to ply CNG buses on mofussil routes. As many as 1,460 of the total 4,702 GSRTC buses run on such routes and only two pumps are attached to the bus depots in Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad,of the seven proposed stations exclusively for the GSRTC,including one at Halol.

Link

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

I recollect this very well that Gujarat operated most of its Inter City fleet on CNG a decade before.

When I started to travel regularly to this part of the country, I noticed "CNG" on most of these Inter City buses and have even taken these couple of times - Ahmedabad - Rajkot, Rajkot - Junagarh and noticed something very different from regular buses; These were really silent performers and I have absolutely no clue if this was to do with the Fuel

Thanks, paragsachania. That was an eye-opener for me too. I stand corrected.

Despite the advantages in terms of lower emissions and lower NVH in addition to cheaper fuel costs, there must be good enough reasons for other intercity bus operators to not turn to CNG. I reckon the safety aspects as well as availability on a long route could be the dampeners.

[abhishek46]

Looking at the pictures, I understand that this Bus runs on Bio-GAS i.e. Methane or the like, produced by Bio-Gas harvesting plants.

As far as I understand this is a very clean & efficient fuel, like LPG/LNG.

Any reason why no one else is using it?

[silversteed]

In this age of post-truths, these news items from April 1st, 2017 would fit into this thread:



Image Source: Hindustan Times

"We are the first one to launch bio-gas bus in the entire south east Asia. Now old buses which have run for 15 or 20 years, can also be given a fresh lease of life with this clean and cheap fuel, and we are in the process of seeking government approval for the same," Phoenix India Research chairman and managing director, Jyoti Prakash Das said.

Source: Deccan Chronicle

A 55-SEATER bus powered by biogas, sourced from cow dung, was launched in Kolkata on Friday, with operators claiming that it is India’s first such bus service. A nominal fare of Re 1 will be charged from each passenger. The bus, powered by a German technology engine, will run on 17.5 km Ultadanga-Garia route. “The bus gives a mileage of 6 km for one kg biogas that costs Rs 20,” Jyoti Prakash Das, Chairman and Managing Director of Phoenix India Research and Development Group, an alternative energy company, said.

Source: Indian Express

***

Originally Posted by abhishek46

Looking at the pictures, I understand that this Bus runs on Bio-GAS i.e. Methane or the like, produced by Bio-Gas harvesting plants.

As far as I understand this is a very clean & efficient fuel, like LPG/LNG.

Any reason why no one else is using it?

There are buses running on CNG, and there are working concepts of buses using Hythane. The greatest challenge in such alternate fuels is ensuring availability. Commercial production and/or storage and transport of these gaseous fuels is not viable yet - commercially or technologically. CNG is an exception and a handful of state transport undertakings have been using CNG powered buses.