The Delhi Government has sent a proposal for introducing premium buses on Delhi roads through private aggregators for Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena's approval. Announcing this on Monday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the proposal for plying premium buses has been sent to Lieutenant Governor for his approval.
Once the LG approves this scheme, the government will table it for public feedback for one month. This initiative aims to encourage people who completely rely on cars to shift towards the public transport network. “Following the LG's approval, we will share the policy online for seeking public feedback,” the chief minister said at a press conference. He said he hoped the scheme will be approved.
Kejriwal said the buses, which will be equipped with CCTV cameras, Wi-Fi, GPS, panic buttons and will be air conditioned, will encourage the middle and upper middle classes to use public transport. People will be able to book their seats online or through an application, he said. “Furthermore, CNG buses will not be more than three years old, and each bus will have at least 12 seats.
Moreover, the Delhi Government will only allow aggregators to ply electric buses after January 1, 2024. Aggregators will also be allowed to chart bus routes on their own, but they must provide complete information to the government,” he said.
“The policy stipulates that no bus older than three years will be used by aggregators. Buses purchased after January 1, 2024 will be electric. The seats in the buses will be booked through an app,” he said. The booking prices for these buses will be higher than those of DTC tickets and in accordance with the market. Hence, there will be no provision for free travel for women, he added.
Kejriwal said there is a large number of cars and scooters on Delhi roads. “Delhi is the capital of our country and our public transport should be world class and at par with foreign cities. If we want to get people to use public transport, we should make public transport safe, comfortable and punctual,” he said. The biggest revolution was when Delhi Metro started and people started using it, he said. “This reduced the number of vehicles reduced on roads,” he said. But the metro has also become crowded and people have started using private vehicles again. There are cluster buses and DTC buses but they are restricted to the lower middle class, the chief minister said.
“We will invite public feedback on the scheme and if we get some good suggestions, we will incorporate it into the scheme and then it will be implemented in Delhi. I firmly believe that such a scheme will greatly benefit public transport in not just Delhi but throughout the country,” he said.
Kejriwal also informed the media that this scheme has been finalised and the file will be sent to the LG Office today. “As the protocol mandates here in Delhi, we will be sending this file to the LG Office today. It is upto the LG to decide if he wants the citizens of Delhi to have this service, or whether he wants to send the file to the President's Office. But since it is a public welfare scheme, I hope that the LG will give his approval to the scheme,” he said.