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Govt launches fresh bid to increase buses in Capital

The department is in the process of formulating a draft for the policy to be put up to Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot.

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A year after the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government ran into trouble over the app-based 'Premium Bus Services' scheme, the Delhi government's transport department is now preparing a fresh proposal to integrate private buses with the existing public transport including the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and the Delhi Metro.

The department is in the process of formulating a draft for the policy to be put up to Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot. The move has come in a bid to boost public transport, in particular last mile connectivity, given the thin DTC bus fleet in the Capital.

Once the draft is finalised, it will be sent to the Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal for approval.

In June, last year, the bus scheme proposed by the former transport minister Gopal Rai was rejected by the then LG Najeeb Jung allegedly for "favouring one company." The scheme could not be rolled out after which Rai submitted his resignation.

The government is still to procure 1,000 new DTC buses as well as cluster (Orange) buses, which are run by the Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS), which it had promised in 2015.

According to officials, once the policy is approved, private app-based aggregators will be allowed to engage buses through web-based applications to ply in the city.

"We are drafting a fresh proposal to allow app-based companies to ply their buses to provide last mile connectivity. The buses can ply from one metro station to another and surrounding localities. It is crucial at present, given the fact there is a lack of availability of buses in Delhi-NCR," said a senior government officer.

App-based aggregators such as Shuttl and Red Bus which ply in the NCR were considered for the scheme by the former transport minister. Under the new policy, these companies will have to get a license from the department. While at present, some of these buses plying across the city without valid permits.

Making legal

Under the new policy, app-based aggregators such as Shuttl and Red Bus will have to get a license from the department. While at present, some of these buses plying across the city without valid permits, have been impounded by the department’s enforcement teams. 

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