Delhi govt to bring new buses for better rural connectivity

New Delhi: The Delhi Transport Department has decided to increase the services of mini and medium-size buses for last-mile connectivity. The government has planned to bring new buses to connect the new rural areas. Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot has directed the department to chalk out a detailed prototype on the matter. "We have recently done a study in which we observed that for the connectivity of the rural areas there is a need for mini and medium-size buses. In the study conducted for the public transport system in Delhi, special attention has been given to the need for minibuses," said a senior official with respect the anonymity.

"The study was focused on areas where large number of people use buses but there is a shortage of buses. The Delhi government has always focused on low floor buses while other Indian states focus on minibuses. This will be the first time the government will experiment and expand connectivity at such a scale," said the official.

According to the source, it was recommended to increase the number of minibuses especially in rural areas where it is difficult to get general low floor buses. To combat this, 72 new routes for mini and medium buses have been recommended along with 27 out of the existing 189 routes have also been recommended.

In Delhi, the number of the minibuses will be increased to connect the rural areas with the main roads and big buses will be from the main roads to the railway and bus stations respectively. The minibuses will be of 25 seaters, while the medium buses will be of 26 to 40 seats. New routes of minibuses cover Saket-Hamdard Nagar, Burari to Wazirabad, Rithala to Bawana including most parts of Delhi-countryside.

The state government has yet to decide on the procurement of the buses however, Gahlot has asked the department to submit a detailed report. "The study has been conducted and the results were discussed in a meeting thereafter the minister has asked the department to make a detailed plan and to submit by the end of this month. The detailed plan will include budget, need and required technology for the buses," said the official.

Recently the Delhi government has completed procurement of 1,000 buses and

25 of them have already hit the street. The officials said that by the January next year the remaining buses will also start running.