Delhi: By year end, metro travel will mean AC comfort from your doorstep

NEW DELHI: By the end of this year, travelling in Delhi Metro would mean commuting in air-conditioned comfort from your doorstep. In a major overhaul of its feeder bus services, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is going to introduce AC feeder buses that will be electric and CNG run.



At present, DMRC's feeder bus services are rickety and the number of buses - just 269 - is way short of the demand. The corporation has been planning a major revamp of its feeder bus network to provide more efficient and comfortable last mile connectivity. In its budget, the Delhi government has also announced that it will support DMRC in inducting 905 feeder buses. In the first phase, however, DMRC plans to induct 530 buses.

"We will first go for a first lot of around 250 buses, which will be a mix of both electric and CNG run buses," DMRC managing director Mangu Singh told TOI. He said that after tenders for the buses are floated, it will take about six to eight months to procure them. "By the year end, we will get the first lot of buses, which will be 22 to 24 seater mini buses," he added.

"We are contemplating not having conductors and the technology will take care of ticketing through smart cards. We will have CCTV cameras to check pilferage," he said. Only smart card holders will be allowed to use the services.

Singh said major changes are being brought in the way the feeder buses are run to ensure improved services. "The model is different this time and will be based on the cluster system. The operators will not be bothered about the route as they will get paid on per km basis," he said. "As a result, they will not deviate from the route, which is happening at present," Singh said.

The corporation has also written to the Delhi government to allow it flexibility in choosing feeder bus routes to ensure better services.

"The government has agreed in principal, but we have not got the formal clearance yet," he added.