New Delhi: In a bid to provide safe and smooth last mile connectivity to Metro commuters, the DMRC (Delhi Metro Rail Corporation) is all set to procure 427 mini (air-conditioned) buses.
The procured buses will operate in five clusters of the Delhi Metro network. The DMRC will also develop bus depot at five locations for operation and maintenance of the buses. These buses will be both CNG and air-conditioned electric buses. The project will cost around Rs 2,084.42 crore. The DMRC has floated tender in this regard and these buses will start to hit the road by the end of this year.
“The Central cluster will have 70 low floor AC CNG buses and DMRC will provide land at Kashmere Gate. While in the North cluster, there will 96 buses and depots will be developed at Majlis Park and Kohat Enclave. In addition, 63 air-conditioned CNG buses will be procured for the East cluster and DMRC will provide land for depots at Jhilmil and Shastri Park. There will be 99 air-conditioned electric buses for the South cluster and depots will be developed at Mohan Estate and INA. 99 low floor, air-conditioned electric buses will be procured for the West cluster of the Metro and depots will be developed at Nan-gloi, Shadipur, and Punj-abi Bagh East area,” said a DMRC official on the condition of anonymity.
At present, commuters don’t have any option other than using shared auto, taxies, or private transportation. However, they feel unsafe while sharing autos as most of them are overcrowded and drivers seldom follow traffic rules. Buses for the intercity routes hardly ply on the roads. Not only this, auto drivers also charge exorbitant fare from commuters. The poor service of Metro feeder has also become a major concern for commuters.
“There is no proper bus service and people are being forced to travel by auto-rickshaws and cabs to reach their destinations, which turns out to be a costly affair. Due to this, commuters are left with no option other than sharing crowded sharing autos, buses, and other means of transport,” said Bharti Raturi, a Metro commuter.
As of now, 291 of these buses are plying in Delhi. They are not authorised to run in Delhi-NCR.
The DMRC has also purchased around 117 old mini non-AC feeder buses, which are being operated and maintained by private agencies/operators. Also, 174 mini non-AC buses are being operated on PPP model for procurement, operation, and maintenance of the mini buses.
