80 more Delhi public buses to improve rural links: Govt
The transport minister flagged off these newly inducted buses at an induction ceremony organised at Rajghat Cluster Depot on Wednesday.
The number of public buses in Delhi rose to 7031, the highest for the city so far, with transport minister Kailash Gahlot inducting 80 low-floor air-conditioned CNG buses under the Delhi government’s cluster scheme.
The transport minister flagged off these newly inducted buses at an induction ceremony organised at Rajghat Cluster Depot on Wednesday.
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted on the occasion and reiterated his government’s commitment to strengthen the public transport system in the city. “Congratulations to the people of Delhi. 80 low-floor AC buses were added to the fleet of public buses today. We are continuously strengthening the bus network of Delhi. We will fulfil all the promises made to the people of Delhi,” Kejriwal tweeted.
Transport minister Kailash Gahlot said the number of public buses in Delhi has crossed 7,000. “With the induction of these 80 buses, the total number of public buses has now reached an all-time high of 7,081. It is a feat that had never been achieved in Delhi’s history. These buses are equipped with state-of-the-art facilities including safety features for women passengers. We are working towards providing Delhiites a world-class public transport system and make Delhi’s public transport service strong and accessible,” Gahlot said. The total number came to 7,031, as 50 old buses were retired on Wednesday.
Currently cluster buses are operated on 328 city routes network. The additional 80 buses will be deployed on 9 additional cluster routes from newly constructed bus deports in Ghumanhera village in order to improve rural connectivity, transport department officials said.
According to a transport department official more than three million people travelled in Delhi Transport Corporation and cluster buses every day in February 2022, which is nearly 14% of Delhi’s population. Before the pandemic, Delhi’s state-run buses used to record an average daily ridership of 4.2 million. The Capital has a population of roughly 20 million people, according to state government records.
Last month, 100 AC low-floor CNG buses were inducted in the DTC fleet under the government’s cluster bus scheme. Since April 2016, the Delhi government has added 2,026 new buses in the public bus fleet, according to a government report. “At least 408 new buses are in the process of induction into the existing fleet which will include 298 DTC electric buses and 110 cluster buses for which contract has been awarded,” said a transport department official.
According to various court orders, Delhi is supposed to have at least 10,000-11,000 public transport buses to cater to its population of nearly 20 million.
Amit Bhatt, managing director (India), International Council on Clean Transportation, said, “Buses are vital for sustainable development of Delhi. Delhi government needs to be congratulated for adding more buses in city. It is also time that Delhi government develops a long-term plan to shift to even cleaner option – electric buses because with e-buses the impact would be even more significant.”
