Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal flags off 50 low-floor CNG buses, 66 enforcement vehicles

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal inducted 50 new low-floor CNG buses into Delhi’s fleet on Tuesday to increase rural connectivity in the Capital

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal inducted 50 new low-floor CNG buses into Delhi’s fleet on Tuesday to increase rural connectivity in the Capital. He also inducted66 enforcement vehicles to crack down on encroachment in bus lanes, which leads to congestion.

CNG buses during their flag-off ceremony at Rajghat Depot in New Delhi on Tuesday. (PTI)

“These buses will be stationed at the Bawana depot and will run on six new routes to increase rural connectivity. All the CNG buses are equipped with several modern facilities, including CCTV cameras, panic buttons and GPS systems for the safety of citizens,” Kejriwal said at the flag-off event at Raj Ghat.

Transport minister Kailash Gahlot said the enforcement vehicles will help keep bus lanes free from encroachment and parked vehicles, and facilitate faster movement of buses.

To be sure, Delhi now boasts its largest ever fleet comprising 7,320 buses, including 4,010 buses operated under Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and 3,310 buses operated under DIMTS (Delhi Integrated Multimodal Transit Systems). DTC is operating 250 low-floor electric buses as part of its fleet, an official said. According to government projections, over 10,000 buses (of which 80% will be electric buses) will be on the Capital’s roads by 2025.

“In the last two or three years, hundreds of new electric and CNG buses have been included in our public transport fleets. Our vision is that the transport system of Delhi should be better than any city’s in any developed country,” Kejriwal said.

According to government officials, the 50 buses will operate from the newly constructed bus depot at Bawana Sector 5 to help improve rural connectivity. Currently, cluster buses operate on 360 routes--these buses will operate on six additional routes.

Kejriwal said the AAP government is intensifying the process of procurement of buses.

“The 50 new buses inducted today (Tuesday) will be kept in Bawana so as to give a significant boost to rural connectivity in distant areas. Till now, there were 360 routes of cluster buses. These 50 buses will run on six additional routes which predominantly serve the rural areas. With the addition of these 50 buses, the Delhi government has an all-time high 7,320 buses on the road. It is a record in itself as Delhi never had government buses in such numbers. These buses have CCTV cameras, panic buttons for the security of women. They are GPS-enabled. We have awarded the tender of 1,500 more electric buses and we are optimistic that they will be added to our fleet by November 2023,” Kejriwal said at the event.

“The year 2025 will be a milestone year, as we will induct 6,380 additional electric buses by then. Several buses will be phased out during this period as well. By the end of 2025, Delhi will have 10,380 buses in its public transport fleet. Of this, 8,180 buses will be electric,” the CM said.

Gahlot said the 66 enforcement vehicles flagged off on Tuesday will keep the bus lanes free from encroachments and parked vehicles. “This will help in faster movement of buses, leading to even better schedule adherence,” said Gahlot.

The enforcement vehicles were pressed into service from Tuesday, taking their total number to 120 (84 four-wheelers and 36 two-wheelers). Equipped with a siren and public announcement system, these vehicles will be stationed on major stretches like Outer Ring Road and Inner Ring Road.

The transport department already has multiple cars for enforcement, but officials said they observed it was difficult for SUVs to travel on narrow roads for enforcement. This prompted the department to induct motorcycles into the fleet as well.