Number of taxis rises 86% in 2 years, buses reduce in Delhi

Prior to 2014-15, the rise in number of taxis was usually in the range of 5-10% as only ‘black and yellow’ cabs or a handful of private cab companies added vehicles to their fleet.

The growing popularity of app-based cabs in Delhi was reflected in figures as the number of taxis registered in the capital in the last two years increased by over 86%.

New Delhi, India - Oct. 13, 2014 Break down DTC green buses seen in roadside in New Delhi, India, on Monday, October 13, 2014. (Photo by Raj K Raj/ Hindustan Times) to go with DTC series (Hindustan Times)

The number of taxis registered in Delhi rose from 79,606 in 2014-15 to 148,434 in 2016-17, a rise of 86.4%, according to the ‘Delhi Statistical Hand Book, 2017’ released on Saturday. In 2015-16, the number of taxis on Delhi roads was 91,073, which means the number grew by around 63% in 2016-17 in comparison to the previous year.

Prior to 2014-15, the rise in number of taxis was usually in the range of 5-10% as only ‘black and yellow’ cabs or a handful of private cab companies added vehicles to their fleet.

Meanwhile, the total number of vehicles continues to grow in the capital, crossing the 10-million mark. Total number of vehicles on Delhi’s streets increased from 9.7 million in 2015-16 to 10.4 million in 2016-17. However, there was a reduction in number of buses and goods vehicles.

Total number of new vehicles registered in Delhi was 778,016 in 2016-17, including the registration of 29,690 e-rickshaws. The total number of registered vehicles in Delhi up to March 2017 was 10.48 million. Out of the total registered vehicles, the number of cars and jeeps was 3,152,710 and the number of motorcycles and scooters was 6,707,891, an increase of 166,131 in cars and 603,821 in two-wheelers.

The number of reported road accidents has decreased from 8,085 during 2015 to 7,375 through 2016.

DTC fleet reduced

While Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) reported a reduction in number of buses, it also resulted in a loss in ridership for the bus provider. The DTC lost around 390,000 passengers daily as 325 buses went off road in 2016-17, figures showed.

According to the report, DTC bus services were availed by 3.1 million passengers on a daily average during 2016-17 against 3.5 million passengers in 2015-16. The total strength of fleet of DTC buses was 4,027 in 2016-17, out of which 1,275 buses were air-conditioned.

The ageing fleet becomes the main reason for reduction in buses as the number of low-floor AC and non-AC buses largely remain the same, but standard buses were reduced by 324.