DDMA lifts restrictions on all public transport in Delhi

New Delhi: The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Friday decided to allow all public transport facilities in the Capital, including Metro trains and Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and cluster buses, to operate at full capacity, both sitting and standing passengers, from Monday

New Delhi: The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Friday decided to allow all public transport facilities in the Capital, including Metro trains and Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and cluster buses, to operate at full capacity, both sitting and standing passengers, from Monday.

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The relaxation came more than two months after the carrying capacity of the Delhi Metro and public transport buses were drastically reduced in view of the surge in Covid-19 cases triggered by the Omicron variant of the virus. While the DDMA had allowed 100% seating in Metro and buses from January 6, to reduce crowding at bus stops and Metro stations, no standing passengers were allowed in the vehicles so far.

On December 28, 2021, as part of the Covid-19 graded response action plan, the DDMA had imposed the “Yellow Alert”, under which the Delhi Metro and state-run buses were allowed to operate at 50% seating capacity and no standing passengers. Other transport services like autorickshaws, cabs, taxis, e-rickshaws, gramin sewa and phatphat sewa were allowed to operate with only two passengers at a time.

While Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and DTC did not comment on the DDMA move, as no order was issued till this report was filed, officials from both the bodies, on the condition of anonymity, said they will continue following Covid protocols like social distancing and wearing masks.

The non-AC buses of DTC can seat 41 passengers and AC buses can seat up to 35 passengers as these have fewer seats. An eight-coach Delhi Metro train can accommodate 400 passengers (50 passengers per coach) as against an optimum capacity of 2,400 passengers if both sitting and standing passengers are allowed. By allowing standing passengers while maintaining social distance, an eight-coach Metro train can accommodate 800 to 1,000 at a time.

With standing passengers allowed from Monday, there would be some respite for passengers who currently have to wait in long queues just to enter busy Metro stations or stand at crowded bus stops.

The city currently has 6,894 buses, of which 3,761, including an e-bus, come under the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and 3,133 under the cluster scheme.

The Delhi Metro network recorded six million “passenger trips” on average daily before the Covid-19 outbreak but despite no standing passengers being allowed in its trains, this figure stands at three million on weekdays at present.

To ensure that the waiting period outside its stations don’t go up due to strict enforcement of social distancing, DMRC has been gradually opening up more gates -- of the 712 entry/exit gates, Metro has opened 491 gates for passengers now, up from 444 earlier this month. The number is expected to go up on Monday.