Delhi govt fixes routes of Metro feeder buses to improve last-mile connectivity

Buses that bring Delhi Metro stations closer for residents will run on new and improved routes. The State Transport Authority aims to rationalise the routes so that they help remove congestion in the Capital.

Routes of Delhi Metro feeder bus service have been rationalised to improve last-mile connectivity in the national capital.

The Metro feeder buses play an important role in last-mile connectivity since transport modes in Delhi are not integrated. (Saumya Khandelwal/HT Photo)

The State Transport Authority has approved modification of 17 feeder bus routes to provide better connectivity with the existing as well as upcoming Metro stations under the Phase 3 network. The new routes range between 5 to 14 kilometres, except for one from Madhu Vihar to Karol Bagh Metro station which would cover 20.3 km.

This route that currently operates between Dwarka Sector 16 to Karol Bagh Metro station has been shortened from 23.7 km and would cover areas such as Madhu Vihar, Mahavir Enclave, Sagarpur, Mayapuri Chowk, Naraina Indsutrial Area, Todapur and Pusa Institute.

“There are issues with the existing feeder routes as they are either parallel to the Metro line itself or overlap with DTC, cluster bus, and Gramin Sewa routes. Out of these modified routes, some have been reduced by 3-9 km while others have been increased by 1-2 km to provide better connectivity. Besides, it is also financially more viable as most routes were unnecessarily long,” said a member of the transport authority.

Read: Soon, a policy to strengthen Metro feeder service

The move assumes significance as it is the first change after the Delhi government decided to rationalise routes of buses across the city. To implement the plan, the government is taking cues from a DIMTS report prepared in 2012.

Citing some examples of the rationalized routes, an official said, “The destination of the route from Dhaula Kuan Metro station to Malviya Nagar station has been changed to Ambedkar Nagar Sector 5. This was because the operator wanted to cater to the crowd from Malviya Nagar to Saket Court keeping in mind the upcoming Janakpuri West to Botanical Garden corridor under Phase 3.”

At present, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has 269 feeder buses that run on 33 routes. The response in these buses is mixed as some routes get a lot of passengers whereas buses on other routes remain almost empty.

The corporation has also been unable to increase its feeder bus fleet as per its target as its tenders hardly attracted any bidders. “We are trying to amend our terms so that more bidders come. The project is in progress and hopefully this time more buses will be added,” a metro official said.