The aggregator had earlier landed the AAP government's former transport minister, Gopal Rai, in a controversy
The Delhi Transport Department has started to crack down on private app-based aggregator Shuttl for plying buses illegally in the city. The aggregator had earlier landed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's former transport minister, Gopal Rai, in a controversy.
The plying of private buses in the national Capital, despite this being banned after the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape case, has been raising security concerns in many quarters. To ensure safety of women in the city, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had directed the Delhi government to ensure that no private buses were plying 'illegally'.
In addition, Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Anil Baijal had directed the state Transport Department to impound the illegally-run private carriers within the city. Consequently, earlier this week, the department's enforcement teams impounded 10 buses engaged by Shuttl — a Gurugram-based company — for permit violations.
"After the L-G's directions, we have impounded over 100 buses engaged by the app-based aggregator in the last six months. These buses are contract carriers and cannot act as stage carriers to pick up individual passengers as it leads to safety concerns, besides congestion and pollution," a senior official said.
Most of the Shuttl buses are from other states, including Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Haryana, which is another major violation. Interstate buses cannot run as stage carriers in the city.
"These buses would issue online tickets on their app while picking up passengers from various routes. The contract-carrier buses are not authorised to pick and drop individual passengers or even define their own routes. These buses would start from Rohini and would ply on set routes, which is a major violation of the Motor Vehicles Act," the official added.
The fares of the app-based bus service range between Rs 50 and Rs 80.
According to the Delhi government officials, they have repeatedly written to the respective state governments to take action against these buses and cancel their permits, but there has been no response, so far. Only the issuing authority can cancel permits.
This year so far, the department has impounded 1,147 illegally plying buses, of which 1,105 were interstate diesel-run buses that were causing pollution in the city.
PAST IMPERFECT
- Earlier this year, AAP government's former transport minister, Gopal Rai, had landed in a major controversy for favouring Shuttl, while rolling out the Premium App-based Bus Scheme. In its probe, the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) had noted that Rai, who had commissioned the project, had given unrestricted freedom to the private aggregator to operate its vehicles in the city.
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