The Urban Development Department has asked Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) to purchase 1,200 midsize buses, which are highly fuel-efficient and provide 100 per cent occupancy throughout the day. These buses have 32 seats and such buses are always fully occupied. On the contrary, Tata Motors and Ashok leyland (Al) buses plying on Delhi roads for the past two years have barely 40 per cent occupancy during non-peak hours and almost 60 per cent occupancy in other lean hours. These buses have 100 per cent occupancy only during peak hours in the morning and evening.
Besides, on average 400-500 buses remain off road due to breakdown and other reasons. Being smaller in size as compared to the existing low-floor buses, the 32-seaters will also occupy lesser road space and thus, help decongest the roads.
As per the Urban Development Department’s note, the Transport Department provides the two major players `2.50 as maintenance charge per kilometre in the prevailing contract. Both the companies have quoted `83 per kilometre as annual maintenance charge (AMC) if DTC purchases 1,200 new midsize buses. This gap is substantial but DTC has the option to annul this clause of AMC following purchase of a fleet of 1,200 buses. This will help DTC escape paying the exorbitant rate to Tata and Al as AMC. But sources claimed that a Chinese transport company has suddenly emerged in the fray to provide midsize buses to DTC. But DTC is yet to make up its mind on the Chinese supplier of midsize buses. The quality of buses, services to be provided by them and other issues have not been revealed as yet.
Next, these 32-seater buses from any of the aforesaid companies are highly fuel-efficient. These midsize buses ply up to 4-km after consuming 1 kilo CNG while the present fleet of buses is barely plying 2.5-km in 1 kilo CNG. Thus, not only the midsize buses ensure 100 per cent occupancy but fuel consumption also halve. The issue of AMC has to be decided by DTC. But the Urban Development Department of the Union Government,which provides 35 per cent financial support in the purchase of an entire fleet, is firm on midsize buses. DTC authorities are pondering upon this issue to arrive at a conclusion at the earliest.
According to officials, DTC has, in fact, decided to opt for semi-low floor, non-AC buses since the high maintenance cost of low-floor buses is proving to be a deterrent for bus manufacturers to participate in the bidding process. Around 6,000 buses are operating in the city. DTC’s efforts to augment its fleet had failed to yield results. It had floated two tenders till date to replace its 1,725 old buses. The latest tender — taken out to procure 1,380 semi-low floor, non-AC buses and 345 low-floor, AC buses — too has yielded no results. The tender for low-floor buses under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) scheme got one bid from Tata Motors.