The new rates and stand fee and norms introduced at Inter State Bus Terminals(ISBT)on September 15 following Delhi Lieutenant Governor, Vinai Kumar Saxena’s intervention, has achieved desired results right since its notification, Raj Niwas said on Saturday. 

Emphasizing that efficiency and equality are two most important factors to achieve optimum utilization of facilities, Saxena had suggested equal parking rates for government as well as private buses and also reducing parking time equally to achieve higher turnaround. He had also asked for only buses with FAStag stickers to be allowed to enter ISBT, so as to ensure complete tracking without human interface, officials said. Giving details of the progress, they said at ISBT - Anand Vihar

the average turnaround time that stood at 208 minutes (3.5 hrs) during the month of August and 212 minutes on September 14, before the notification was issued, dramatically came down to 24 minutes the next day.  Subsequently, it decreased to 22 minutes only on September 19.  Since then, the average turnaround time for buses at the ISBT is 23 minutes, till the data compiled on September 26.

As a result of this, number of buses to and from the Terminal that stood at an average of 852 per day during the month of August, 2024 and 836 on 14.09.2024, have risen substantially.  While the number of buses on 15.09.2024 stood at 877, it rose up to 912 on 17.09.2024.  The average since 15.09.2024, when the new notification was issued, stands at 870 per day.

As regards ISBT - Kashmere Gate, while the average turnaround time that stood at 45 minutes during the month of August, 2024 and 39 minutes on 14.09.2024, before the notification was issued, came down to 29 minutes on 15.09.2024 and subsequently decreased to 19 minutes on 21.09.2024, averaging at 19 minutes since then. 

As a result of this, number of buses to and from the Terminal that stood at an average of 1,373 per day during the month of August, 2024 and 1,327 on 14.09.2024, have risen substantially.  While the number of buses on 15.09.2024 stood at 1,367, it rose up to 1593 on 26.09.2024.  The average number of buses at this ISBT since 15.09.2024, when the new notification was issued, stands at 1644 per day.   

At ISBT - Sarai Kale Khan, while the average turnaround time that stood at 216 minutes (3.6 hrs) during the month of August, 2024 and 191 minutes on September 14, before the notification was issued, dramatically came down to 24 minutes on 15.09.2024 and subsequently decreased to 17 minutes only on 17.09.2024, averaging at 18 minutes since then.  As a result of this, number of buses to and from the Terminal that stood at an average of 268 per day during the month of August, 2024 and 236 on 14.09.2024, have risen substantially.

While the number of buses on 15.09.2024 stood at 260, it rose up to 266 on 17.09.2024.  The average since 15.09.2024, when the new notification was issued, stands at 241 per day, marking a dip from the August average, but an increase since 14.09.2024.        

New uniform stand fee charges for interstate operation of State Government, AITP and other private buses (with valid permit) kicked in from the intervening midnight of September 14-15.

Applicable to all such buses plying from ISBTs at Kashmere Gate, Anand Vihar and Sarai Kale Khan, these revised stand fee charges are being collected only through FASTag based system and no bus is allowed to enter and operate from the terminal’s premises without a FASTag. 

Logistics for implementation of the FASTag based system have been upgraded and the porta cabins plus barriers have been refurbished.  Rooms from which operators operate and storerooms have been air-conditioned and provisions have been made to provide FASTags to vehicles that do not have them.   

Following Saxena's visit and inspection of Maharana Pratap ISBT on August 31 and a subsequent high level meeting chaired by the LG and attended by Delhi Transport Minister, Kailash Gahlot, it was decided that the Transport Department will notify new rates and norms for 'to and fro' inter-state buses utilizing the iconic bus terminals.  The LG had also visited ISBTs at Sarai Kale Khan and Anand Vihar on September nine.    

The underutilization till now is because of rate differences between government and private buses, poor management of parking bays, bus staff  using terminals as resting places and systemic issues like staggered circulation due to extended turnaround time, which in turn leads up to traffic gridlock outside the ISBT.

As per the new scheme of things, private as well as government interstate buses are paying the same amount of fee for parking and using the bus bays at ISBT.

Till the new notification on September 15, private buses were charged more, which led to a situation where they unauthorizedly parked and picked passengers on roads outside the ISBT complexes, resulting in huge traffic snarls apart from causing passenger and revenue loss to state run buses.

With the new notification, reduced turnaround time, faster circulation and improved handling of buses is being achieved. The LG has sought a report from the Traffic Police to ascertain the impact of reduced turnaround timings on the traffic situation and pedestrian movement outside the ISBT complexes.