Tata Starbus Hybrid

Tata Starbus Hybrid is set to hit the roads of Bandra-Kurla Complex. It is a bus to watch out for.

- Bhushan Mhapralkar

Turn the key and watch the needles dance inside their dials before settling down to indicate that the bus is ready to move. Pressing the accelerator pedal does not lead to the desired result. It takes a moment to understand that it won’t; not until the air brake pressure has built up. This is indicated by the two lower dials on the Prima inspired instrument cluster. Once they have reached the prescribed level, the bus begins to move in near silence. This is unlike any other bus experienced until now. The three square buttons to the right – marked D, N and R, make up the gear shifter. There’s no clutch. On either side of the instrument cluster are a bank of switches, crucial to the smooth functioning of the bus. The driver console is attached to the steering column. The two are a single unit, and every time the steering is adjusted for reach the console also moves with it. A little ahead, the windscreen rises above like a giant surface. It helps with an uninterrupted view ahead. The Intelligent Transport System (ITS) module is to the immediate left of the driver console.

Loco on the road