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Repurposing end-of-life vehicles: Your next chai could be inside a retired bus
Initially these will be placed at inter-state bus terminals and bus depots.
With dozens of CNG buses being retired, the Delhi Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation (DTIDC) has come up with a new initiative to give these old vehicles a new life.
Under this new initiative, the buses will be turned into commercial kiosks and shops for retail or food. Initially these will be placed at inter-state bus terminals and bus depots, but if the idea is feasible, more locations will be explored.
For an initial trial, the department has invited bids to lease one such refurbished bus stationed in front of the Kashmere Gate ISBT for three months. According to the tender document, DTIDC is offering a furnished shop inside the bus —a new kind of space for retail players.
The department will use this to test public and market response before expanding the project across the city. The license for the Kashmere Gate project can be extended for an additional three months with DTIDC’s approval.
100 CNG buses have already been retired and removed from the DTC fleet this year. More buses are expected to be removed next year.
The tender for the ISBT Kashmere Gate says, “Apart from operating facilities for commuters, the ISBT has developed a furnished shop in a static old bus at ISBT Kashmere Gate, Delhi, for commercial activities.”
“ At this time the shop is vacant. The built-up/proposed area has prominent and spacious frontage and captive commuter base. This built-up/proposed area shall present a unique opportunity for retail players.”
“The Kashmere Gate ISBT has a captive commuter base of lakhs every day, making it an ideal testing ground for such experiments,” said an official.
The idea for refurbishing old buses this way, the official said, “stems from the department’s value-capture strategy to generate additional non-fare revenue while enhancing commuter amenities. If the pilot succeeds, several decommissioned buses could be refurbished as kiosks for retail or food vending across ISBTs and depots”.
This would include roll outs at other bus terminals such as Anand Vihar and Sarai Kale Khan. Officials said that the retired buses are currently parked at one of the impounding pits of the transport department.
Earlier this year, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) also proposed to use some of the old DTC buses as kitchen on wheels at parks and green spaces frequented by tourists, including a pilot at the Yamuna Vatika floodplains park. It had asked consultants to suggest how modifications can be made in CNG-run AC low floor buses to turn those into working kitchen facilities.
