The Delhi Transport Department on Monday made a presentation to the Council of Ministers regarding engagement of 3,000 buses, which are scheduled to hit the streets of the Capital over the next six months, Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said.
The Minister said that the presentation focussed on the timeline to roll-out electric, low-floor and standard floor vehicles under the cluster scheme.
Mr. Gahlot said that standard-floor buses would become available within four to five months, low-floor buses would take five to six months and the tender for electric buses would be floated by December 20.
On addition of 1,000 standard-floor buses to the cluster service, Mr. Gahlot said the agreements with the cluster operators would be signed in November.
These agreements will serve as the “final documents, like placing the order”, he said. After signing the agreements, it could take about four to five months for buses to be on the roads, he said.
Electric buses
On 1,000 electric buses being added to the cluster service, he said the Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS) was carrying out a study and would take into account all aspects, including a recent trip to China and the pilot run launched recently, before submitting its report by November-end.
Five depots and the closest power grid had been identified for the electric buses. These would serve as charging and parking stations. On 1,000 low-floor CNG buses to be added to the cluster scheme, the Minister said, the tender would be floated towards the end of November.
“The tender will be approved by the Cabinet in its next meeting, which will be after Diwali. Most of these buses will be air-conditioned,” he said, adding that about 20% would be non-AC vehicles. It would take about five to six months for these buses to start plying on the road come, he said.
“These clusters would be new as well as the routes,” said the Minister.
Mr. Gahlot added that a route rationalisation exercise would be carried out for the “Najafgarh corridor” with a pilot to be conducted by November 15.
The route rationalisation would, he said, seek to ensure — on trunk routes such as from Najafgarh to ISBT, Central Secretariat and points in the Central Business District — that buses at a frequency of every five minutes.