Delhi govt looks to rent space to park buses

With ambitious plans to buy 10,000 more buses, the Delhi government is considering a proposal to rent space in the city to park the huge fleet. Even now, the administration finds there is not enough space to park at night its 4,700 Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses and 1,300 cluster buses, which operate on a public-private partnership basis.

“We are exploring the possibility of renting open space for parking buses at night,” a government official said. 

The DTC claims to run the world’s biggest fleet of buses operating on clean fuel. Along with Delhi Metro, it offers the cheapest mode of public transport in the Capital.

There are 46 DTC depots in the Capital now. Officials say they together cannot accommodate even the entire existing fleet. This forces drivers to park hundreds of buses by the roadside at night, leading at times to harassment at the hands of Delhi Police, who don’t report to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-controlled Delhi government. The Delhi government needs land to create more bus depots. But land is a Central government subject in the National Capital Region. And land is costly too.

“We will see if large chunks of land like school playgrounds and other areas are available at night on rent,” the Delhi government official said.

“At times, police harass bus drivers because they park their vehicles at non-designated spots,” the official said.