Delhi govt mulls bigger buses to reduce pollution and congestion

The Delhi government — in order to ferry more passengers and combat the problem of shortage of drivers — is planning to run articulated buses on the outer roads of the city.

The Delhi government — in order to ferry more passengers and combat the problem of shortage of drivers — is planning to run articulated buses on the outer roads of the city.

The Delhi government — in order to ferry more passengers and combat the problem of shortage of drivers — is planning to run articulated buses on the outer roads of the city. (Sushil Kumar/ HT Photo)

Since the buses will be double the size of normal buses, the transport department is in the process of identifying routes where such buses can ply without any hindrance.

Transport minister Gopal Rai said his department would also run feeder buses to support the articulated bus service. “We saw such buses during our recent trip to Sweden, where they operated on bio gas. We had a meeting with the manufacturers there and have asked them if they can manufacture such buses that can run on CNG,” said Rai.

The government is planning to use these buses on Ring Road and press feeder buses in service at the end of the journey to solve the issue of connectivity.

“A consultant is doing the mapping of Delhi and will tell the transport department what kind of public service vehicle is required at what place. At routes, where buses are required, we will only allow buses.

According to the official, currently buses take longer routes just to cover every area of the Capital.

Rai has also proposed a separate agency to plan and execute transport related projects. The agency — United Multi-modal Transport Authority (UMTA) — will directly report to the Assembly and head of every department will be part of this body for better coordination.

“There should be a common authority as multiplicity of agencies lead to delays. We have several challenges ahead to improve public transport in Delhi,” Rai said.