In a move to decongest, and ensure maximum utilisation of its capacity, private as well as Government interstate buses will have to pay the same amount of parking fee for using the bus bays at inter-state bus terminals in the national capital. Buses will be provided with a parking time slot of 25 minutes at a fixed rate of Rs 500 (excluding Good and Services tax). After that, charges will be applied for every five-minute extra. It was also decided that only buses with Fastag be allowed to enter the terminals to ensure tracking. The new norms and rates will be soon notified at interstate terminals. Delhi has three operational inter-state bus terminals (ISBTs) at Kashmere Gate, Anand Vihar and Sarai Kale Khan having their optimum capacity of 3,000 per day against 1,700 now.
According to a Raj Niwas official, lower turnaround times will not only reduce the waiting period for passengers but also ensure that buses circulate at a faster pace, speed up traffic-pedestrian and vehicle movement outside ISBTs, and generate more revenue for the transport department.
“As of now private buses are charged more, which leads to a situation where they unauthorisedly park and pick passengers on roads outside the ISBT complex, resulting in huge traffic snarls apart from causing passenger/revenue loss to State run buses.
Lt Governor Vinai KumarSaxena inspected the Maharana Pratap ISBT at Kashmere Gate on August 31 and subsequently held a high-level meeting that was attended by Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot,” a Raj Niwas official said.The transport department is set to notify the new rates and norms for to-and-fro interstate buses utilising the iconic terminals.
“Emphasising that efficiency and equality are two most important factors to achieve optimum utilisation of facilities, LG suggested equal parking rates for Government as well as private buses and also reducing parking time equally to achieve higher turnaround. He also asked for only buses with Fastag stickers to be allowed to enter ISBT, so as to ensure complete tracking without human interface,” he said. Once notified, the new norms will not only ensure efficiency in the functioning and operation of ISBTs but also enable the facilities to function to their optimum capacity of 3,000 per day against 1,700 now, he added.
The under-utilisation is because of rate differences between Government and private buses, poor management of parking bays, staff using terminals as resting places, and systemic issues such as staggered circulation due to extended turnaround times leading to traffic snarls outside, the official said.
A system of differential parking or utilisation charges based on time is also set to be notified to reduce turnaround time. Buses will be provided with a parking time slot of 25 minutes at a fixed rate. After that, charges will be applied for every five-minute extra. Enforcement and implementation will be ensured through Fastags, he said.
Buses without Fastags will not be permitted inside the terminals. A facility will be provided outside the ISBT complex where a bus without Fastag can buy one before entering, he added.
