Delhi govt to take over DMRC electric bus fleet to boost last-mile connectivity

The DMRC is running E-buses in East and North clusters since December 2019, from Shastri Park and Majlis Park depots, now the Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS) will operate the transport system of these electric buses.

Welcome, Kohat Enclave, Rithala, Nangloi, Mundka, and Dwarka are the six new metro stations identified for the operation of additional 380 electric buses. The metro authority will construct bus depots at these locations and the transport department shall operate the E-buses on per kilometer basis.

The proposal was recommended by the Route Rationalization Study conducted by the transport department of the Delhi Government.

The first phase of the implementation of the study was conducted in October with standard (12 meters) buses operating across 26 new routes including Trunk (2), Central Business District (CBD) (3), Primary (18), and Airport routes (3) with a frequency of 5 to 20 mins during the peak hours.

In areas where 12-meter-long DTC and cluster buses cannot operate due to the smaller width of the road or less passenger density, the study recommends using Mini/Midi buses. These buses of smaller-size provide better financial sustainability and convenience to commuters, especially around the rural areas of the capital city.

“With a good response received from the implementation of the pilot of Route Rationalization Study, these new smaller size electric feeder buses will further boost the last mile connectivity for the people,” Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said in a statement.

“A comprehensive study helped us understand the actual origin and destination of the bus commuters in the city, which led to designing new routes with a faster frequency of a bus in the required areas. We are also ensuring that all new buses being added in the city are electric in a bid to make our public transport completely pollution free,” the minister added.

(With inputs from news agency ANI)