Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday rode a U-Special bus to her alma mater, Daulat Ram College, reminiscing about her college days while relaunching the bus service after more than 10 years.
Boarding the U-Special bus from Delhi University Sports Complex to Daulat Ram College, the CM shared a video on X in which she can be seen singing Ae Watan Watan Mere Aabad Rahe Tu along with students playing guitars and conga. Captioning the video, she wrote, “College, dosti aur guitar... Laut aayi hai U-Special” (College, friendship, and guitar... U-Special has returned).
Making the bus ride enjoyable and friendly, the Delhi Transport Coproration (DTC) will introduce music in buses for the first time in Delhi-NCR. This will be a live radio channel that will make students’ journeys lively and enjoyable. Additionally, it will serve as a platform for Government messages and social campaigns.
Member of Parliament Manoj Tiwari, Delhi University Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh, Delhi Transport Minister Dr Pankaj Kumar Singh, MLA Mr Surya Prakash Khatri, Transport Commissioner Niharika Rai, DTC Managing Director Prince Dhawan, and other dignitaries were also present on the bus.
The U-Special bus service was launched with 25 buses covering 67 DU colleges and other educational institutions. These buses are equipped with CCTV cameras, panic buttons and will also have radio playing on them.
U-Special buses used to be a lifeline of the university, in which thousands of students commuted to their colleges, but the service was stopped. These buses will link the North Campus, South Campus, JNU, IIT Delhi, and major residential areas. The routes have been carefully planned, such as Narela to Patel Chest, Najafgarh to Aurobindo College, Purnachandra Hostel to Ramjas College, Rithala Metro to Aditi College, and other educational hubs. Their schedules have been aligned with college timings to provide maximum convenience for students.
At her alma mater, she clicked a selfie with the principal, teachers and students. Posting the selfie, the chief minister said she was taken back to her time as a college student. The chief minister did her bachelor’s in commerce from the college. “Today, a selfie with the students and faculty of Daulat Ram College… it felt as if a page from an old book of time had suddenly opened,” she said in a post on X.
She credited her college with playing a significant role in her entry into politics. She held the post of Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) president during her student days. “It was here that I learned to take flight, here that I chose the path of struggle, and here that I found the self-confidence that inspired me to become the DUSU President and dedicate myself to public service. “Daulat Ram is much more than just walls and classrooms for me. It is a feeling that shaped my thinking, gave direction to my dreams, and provided my life with a purpose,” she said in the post. According to her, by 1998, when she had left university, the U-Special buses had already stopped running. “But today,” she said with pride, “I have brought them back for all of you.”
Launching the buses, the chief minister said the Government is also working on providing concessional metro passes for students, so that both education and travel become seamless.
“While the previous Government used to make U-turns, our Government is always in forward gear, taking Delhi forward,” she said. “I left the university in 1998 after completing my studies and the buses stopped plying at that time. Now I am coming back to the university and with me these buses,” Gupta said at the event.
In a post on X in Hindi, she recalled her time travelling in the buses. “This is not just a bus, but a moving world of friendship, chit-chat, and laughter. Where we used to sit on the stairs and play antakshari, you will listen to FM today, but the emotions will remain the same,” she added in the post.
In another post, she said that these new buses will directly connect North and South Campus, JNU, IIT Delhi, and other institutions. “The schedule of these buses has been aligned with college timings so that students can get maximum convenience,” she added.
The number of U-Special buses will be increased regularly, she said, adding that her Government was moving forward step-by-step to fight pollution, and the e-buses with zero pollution would help in it.
According to officials, the U-special bus services were stopped in march 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.
She said in the last six months, the BJP Government has been working hard to take Delhi forward and make life easier for its people. Delhi Transport Minister Pankaj Singh said all the U-Special buses were electric and air conditioned, equipped with CCTV cameras and panic buttons for the safety of students. The students can also listen to their favourite songs in these buses using QR codes, he added.
In a post on X, the Delhi Transport Corporation said, “#DTCUSpecial Buses - For the Youth, With the Youth. Now, our buses will play the radio and offer melodious music. Passengers will be able to listen to their favorite songs and even dedicate sweet messages and songs to their loved ones.” “Bus journeys will no longer be boring - instead, they will become friendly and memorable experiences. The bus will now become your buddy, which is why this campaign is called - #BusKarBuddy Because it’s all about musical connectivity - from heart to heart,” it added.
The service was originally launched in 1971, but it was discontinued during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. Delhi currently has the highest number of electric buses in the country. By mid-2025, a total of 2,949 electric buses are operating in Delhi, of which 2,210 belong to DTC and 739 are under the cluster scheme. These buses are completely pollution-free, reflecting the Government’s commitment to clean and sustainable public transport.