DTC to procure 1,250 low-floor buses

The DTC had last inducted buses in 2011. Currently, it has a fleet of 3,762. Other than that, the cluster buses in Delhi – operated by concessionaires – have a fleet size of 2,839.

The Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) on Friday paved the way for the procurement of 1,250 low-floor AC buses with its board deciding to award the contract to two prominent automobile manufacturers -- JBM and Tata Motors -- in a 70:30 ratio, senior government officials said.

The induction of the buses will begin after the proposal receives the approval of the Delhi cabinet, officials said. (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)

The induction of the buses will begin after the proposal receives the approval of the Delhi cabinet, officials said.

The DTC had last inducted buses in 2011. Currently, it has a fleet of 3,762. Other than that, the cluster buses in Delhi – operated by concessionaires – have a fleet size of 2,839. The cluster bus fleet has witnessed an increase over the past few years, government records showed.

In November 2019, the Supreme Court had observed that at least 11,000 buses are needed to cater to Delhi’s population of over 20 million.

“These 1250 BS-VI compliant air-conditioned buses would be equipped with real-time passenger information systems, CCTV cameras, panic buttons, GPS along with features for differently abled. Bharat Stage (BS) standards are emission standards that regulate the output of air pollutants from motor vehicles,” the Delhi government said in a statement.

A senior official said both companies had previously qualified the technical evaluation stage of the tender floated by the DTC .