Leafy Bus to Establish Private Bus Terminals Across India

Leafy Bus, an electric intercity bus service company based in New Delhi, is set to establish private bus stands in India. The move is aimed at solving the challenges associated with long-distance electric travel.

According to Autocar Professional, Leafy Bus operates using a hub-and-spoke system, which involves the use of captive infrastructure as opposed to public bus stands and shared charging points. Rohan Dewan, the CEO of Leafy Bus, said that the system is meant to offer predictable charging and timing, which is essential for the development of electric intercity transport.

The proposed terminals, termed as private bus hubs, will feature high-capacity charging points, parking facilities, managed boarding points, and waiting areas for passengers. Other services, including food and beverage, may also be provided. The infrastructure will help minimize reliance on public terminals, which may experience inconsistent operation times and limited charging points.

Currently, Leafy Bus has a fleet of 22 electric sleeper buses plying routes such as Delhi-Dehradun, Delhi-Agra, Delhi-Jaipur, and Delhi-Lucknow. Leafy Bus plans to increase its current fleet to 55 by the end of the financial year. In the next three years, Leafy Bus plans to run 500 buses with 80 hubs in India.

Leafy has partnered with Glida, a charging company, to install high-capacity 360 kW DC fast chargers at Leafy terminals. The charging capacity of these chargers is sufficient to charge an intercity bus completely in one hour. According to this agreement, Leafy has exclusive use of the charging stations and charges per unit.

The procurement of fleets is expected to increasingly adopt a leasing approach. Leafy also focuses on safety by selecting buses that are built by OEMs and not body-built buses.

The company also believes that its terminals would not only facilitate the operations but could also help in generating additional revenue streams in the form of leasing space to retailers or providing controlled charging access to other operators.

By developing its own hubs and controlled infrastructure, Leafy Bus aims to enhance the predictability of operations and help in the development of electric intercity travel in India.

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