Uncomfortable truths of a daily bus journey in Delhi

Despite not qualifying to the standards of a safe and comfortable travel, millions still rely on a Delhi Transport Corporation bus for their daily commute.

It was 1 in the afternoon as I stood waiting for a bus at a broken shelter with no benches to sit or a roof to get cover from the scorching sun in north Delhi’s Rohini Sector 13. Nearly 20 others were waiting beside me -- all depending on their luck for their bus to arrive early.

Despite not qualifying to the standards of a safe and comfortable travel, millions still rely on a Delhi Transport Corporation bus for their daily commute. (Sushil Kumar/HT File)

Despite tall promises, no passenger information system is available at Delhi’s bus shelters. The quintessential green, yellow board with bus numbers written on it was not there, leaving me wondering if I was waiting at the right stop.

I gathered courage and asked a middle-aged woman if bus 990E indeed had a stop there, she nodded in agreement. However, I sill wasn’t sure as to how long would it take for the bus to arrive. Eleven minutes later, I felt a rush of relief as I saw a green low-floor bus with route no. 990E written on it approaching the bus shelter. Even though I was hoping for an air-conditioned bus but knowing how unreliable the frequency of buses are, one cannot afford to miss a bus.

The relief was short-lived though. As I got into the bus, I saw that it was already packed. There was no seat available and struggled to stand between the seats, pushing hard against the man standing right behind me as there was no space. It is the same unease that women feel during their daily commute in overcrowded city buses.

More people boarded the bus from the next stop, near the Rohini West Metro Station, narrowing down already sparse elbow room.

Despite not qualifying to the standards of a safe and comfortable travel, millions still rely on a Delhi Transport Corporation bus for their daily commute. The journey to Shivaji Stadium, as many as 24 bus stops away from my boarding point, took about 75 minutes in the sweltering heat. The same would have taken 35 minutes by Metro.

Despite its crumbling infrastructure and bleeding finances, DTC still remains the backbone of public transport in Delhi. It carries more people daily than even the swankier Metro.

Lack of last mile connectivity is one of the prime reasons why people still prefer boarding a DTC bus than going to the Metro station.

The journey time is more than double the metro but people prefer it as it provided door to door connectivity. Commuters have limited options on their weary travel. The buses cater to commuters from within and outer areas of Delhi.

“I usually opt for a bus instead of the Metro because I have to change twice to reach home. Metro is more convenient in terms of air-conditioning, etc, but otherwise the buses are a blessing,” said Shweta Mittal, a fellow passenger who boarded the bus from Rajendra Place.

The most common problem that my fellow travellers had was getting delayed in traffic.

“I often reach office late if I dont start early. You have to count everything. The wait at the bus stop. Traffic on the way and if you have a real bad day, breakdowns that are not too uncommon. Getting a seat in the bus or a chance of getting an AC bus are only luxuries if you tick the above boxes right,” said Richa Singh, a daily commuter who boarded the bus from Pitampura.

Buses break down, leaving passengers stranded often during summer. “The buses should be maintained regularly,” said Sudhir Sachdeva, who travels to CP for work.