The Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) is looking to induct 2,000 more buses, of which about 60 per cent will be standard floor ones, 500 mini-buses that can be used in congested areas, and about 300 luxury buses that will be run between cities adjoining the Capital, such as Gurgaon, Faridabad, Noida etc.

“All of these will be run within DTC,” said Gopal Rai, Transport Minister of Delhi, while speaking at a PHDCCI conference.

He said the city also plans to launch 10,000 buses with private partnership — that will be run on three levels of fares and services, to cater to different segments of society.

The fares will be standard, mid-level and high (where buses will have Internet facilities).

Rai said one of the problems that Delhi has been facing is the limited availability of vendors for CNG (compressed natural gas) buses. Over the last three years, there were three tenders but there was only a single bid for such tenders.

“We realised the reluctance of vendors to take on an annual maintenance contract along with buses. So, now we are going to float a tender just for provision of buses,” said Rai, adding that breakdown is a key problem, but DTC will use its facilities for maintenance.

Pollution, connectivity

Traffic jams and high pollution levels are key challenges for Delhi at a macro level, Rai said, pointing out that for commuters, the biggest problem is last-mile connectivity.

“To solve this problem, we aim to extend a subsidy of ₹15,000 to every e-rickshaw owner when they register,” he said.

Additionally, Delhi plans to launch comfort taxis or small taxis that can fit between the categories of auto rickshaws, buses and the Metro.

These could be battery-driven small vehicles or Nanos, which should be air-conditioned. This is basically aimed at discouraging use of personal transport, he added.

CCTVs with GPS

While major transportation work in Delhi was done in the run-up to the Commonwealth Games, it is stalled in the years since. The DTC has 4,500 buses and the cluster system has 1,400 buses, while the plan was to have 5,000 buses under each system.

Rai said three years ago DTC had installed GPS in 4,500 buses, of which only 900 still have the system. “Some were stolen, some broken,” he said, adding that now they plan to install CCTVs in all buses with inbuilt GPS trackers. He said the Delhi Government is also working on an App that will let a user know the nearest transport facilities, such as nearest autos, buses and taxis.

Hurdles ahead

The Minister said the government faced some administrative challenges, particularly with regard to land.

“When we want buses, we need land for depots, which are under the Delhi Development Authority, which asks us for money. We have taken up the issue with the (Central) government,” he added.

“This government plans to make Delhi a super-smart city. Four years ago, if you asked people whether one could win elections through honest means, they said it was impossible.

“But we won elections without feeding any liquor or chicken and made possible the impossible,” said Rai, referring to the Aam Aadmi Party’s landslide electoral victory this February.

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