Bluelines to get first dig on charter service

Going by the submission of the Delhi Government in the Delhi High Court hearing the Blueline phase-out case, owners of Blueline buses can ply chartered buses. Harish V Nair reports.

Going by the submission of the Delhi Government in the Delhi High Court hearing the Blueline phase-out case, owners of Blueline buses can ply chartered buses.

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"We are willing to consider grant of contract carriage permits if they comply with all requirements. We will give them priority allotment for contract carriage for chartered buses," said KTS Tulsi, counsel for Delhi government told a Bench headed by justice AK Sikri.

The government was responding to the argument of Blueline operators that livelihood of more than 1,600 families will be in peril if the Bluelines are phased out.

The court was hearing petitions filed by the operators challenging the phase out.

Countering the argument that DTC buses, too, were involved in accidents, Tulsi said private buses were six times more accident-prone than the state-run buses.

In an affidavit in the court, RK Verma, transport commissioner said: "The department feels that existing ridership capacity of public transport system is more than adequate even if all Blueline buses go off the road."