Plush pvt buses on anvil to boost public transit in Delhi

The transport corporation’s board on Monday decided to rope in private firms to provide electric and CNG bus services to meet high commuter demand in the satellite cities of Noida, Gurugram, Faridabad and Ghaziabad.

The Delhi government will soon introduce premium private buses in the national capital region and on intercity routes, seats on which could be booked through an app, with the Delhi Transport Corporation giving an in-principle approval to the move in its latest board meeting, officials said.

The plan also wants to include long-distance intercity routes from Delhi that would include cities like Meerut, Sonipat, Amritsar, Shimla, Jaipur and Dehradun, among others. (HT File)

The transport corporation’s board on Monday decided to rope in private firms to provide electric and CNG bus services to meet high commuter demand in the satellite cities of Noida, Gurugram, Faridabad and Ghaziabad, they said, requesting anonymity. A special mobile app will be developed to access the services and fares will be dynamic, based on demand, a transport department official said.

The move is aimed at reducing the use of private vehicles as the proposed mass transit system would reduce vehicular pollution and ease congestion on the capital’s roads. Initial plans suggest that the buses will have designated origin and destination points. Passengers will be able to book seats through an app and be picked up at a specified time from the nearest bus stop.

The plan for premium services also wants to include long-distance intercity routes from Delhi that would include cities like Meerut, Sonipat, Amritsar, Shimla, Jaipur and Dehradun, among others.

This is not the first time that the Delhi government has proposed such a scheme. It had first approved a proposal for a premium bus service in May 2016, which was rejected by the then lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung.

Between 2000 and 2012, Delhi used to have Whiteline buses that provided connectivity between fixed points in the city, as well as between Delhi and Noida. They were private buses that ran under the government mandate. They had a fixed route and were hugely popular among office commuters and those travelling between Delhi and Noida.

“Whiteline buses operated mostly within Delhi, and some of them also went to different places in Noida. However, there were no service to Ghaziabad, Gurugram or Faridabad. They were stage carriage buses which means that they stopped at every stop on the identified routes. Initially, there were around 700 whiteline buses which were comfortable than regular public buses,” said a transport department official who asked not to be named.

The number of such buses later dwindled as operators started making losses due to poor demand during non-peak hours as well as the introduction and expansion of Metro, the official added.

The official said the premium bus services will be different from the Whiteline model as they will have fixed stops, and have app-based services. Office goers will find it particularly convenient, he added.

The government will not buy the buses but will induct private operators to run the demand-based service, officials said. “DTC already has permit to run intercity buses,” said the official cited earlier.

The DTC board, to encourage the use of electric two-wheelers by employees, also approved providing free charging facilities in bus depots. Additionally, the employees will be able to avail loans from financial institutes empaneled by the Delhi Financial Corporation.

The Delhi government is already providing a purchase incentive of ₹5,000 per kWh of battery capacity with a maximum incentive of ₹30,000 for each electric two-wheeler purchased. DTC has a workforce of nearly 38,000 and an internal survey showed 45% of them were using two-wheelers to reach office. As range anxiety has been a major challenge, free charging facilities will provide a boost for employees using electric vehicles.

“While new premium buses under DTC will provide convenience for longer journey commuters, the free EV charging facilities and benefit of three national holidays to contractual employees shows our commitment for providing best facilities and services for our staff and employees,” said Kailash Gahlot, Delhi transport minister and chairman of the DTC board.