Delhi commuters left stranded as DTC buses go off roads on second day of strike

Stranded at bus stops for hours, commuters spilled onto the streets, trying to hail autorickshaws, e-rickshaws and cabs.

Public transport system was severely disrupted in Delhi on Wednesday as a strike by contractual Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) drivers entered its second day, leaving thousands of commuters waiting for hours at bus stops, paying significantly more for alternative transport and adding hours to their daily journeys.

Commuters wait in long queues at the roadside during the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) drivers go on strike over various demands. (Sanjeev Verma/HT Photo)

The disruption intensified particularly around afternoon as commuters, stranded at bus stops for hours, spilled onto the streets, trying to hail autorickshaws, e-rickshaws and cabs.

The strike, over demands including higher basic pay, dearness allowance, grade pay, medical facilities, insurance, overtime payment and other service benefits, affected several DTC depots and routes. Buses were not dispatched from depots including Burari, Nangloi, Rewla Khanpur, GTK, Nehru Place and Shadipur, while some buses were reportedly halted mid-route.

Commuters pinched with additional costs

For many, the disruption meant an unexpected increase in their daily travel expenses. Ishita Bijalwan, 18, a resident of Pandav Nagar, said her mother had to take an e-rickshaw after failing to find a bus while taking her brother to school in Preet Vihar. “My mother ended up spending around ₹100-120 on the commute today,” she said.

For Mohd Sajid, 35, a tailor working in Mayur Vihar, the strike turned a ₹30-40 daily commute into a much more expensive journey. “I hardly spend around ₹15-20 on a single side journey. Today, just travelling one way in an auto cost me ₹120.” The disruption was particularly difficult for elderly commuters. At another bus stop, 79-year-old Devi Prasad said he had already been waiting for nearly an hour. “I have been here at the bus stop for almost an hour. At this age, interchanging metros with two bags is difficult,” Prasad said.

Lalit Choudhary, president of the DTC Employees’ Union, said, “We had called the strike for Tuesday but more drivers joined in on the second day.

Many drivers who had taken buses out of their depots this morning, returned,” he said. The union said more than 32,000 employees, including around 10,000 drivers and 20,000 conductors, were participating.

“The issue of the drivers is with the concessionaire and we are working on resolving it,” a senior DTC official said.