Currently, all buses running under the cluster scheme are standard-floor and non-AC. (Representational Image)The Delhi Cabinet Thursday approved a proposal to procure 1,000 low-floor AC buses. The first batch of the new buses will hit the roads by July 2019, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said.
The low-floor buses will augment the fleet running under the cluster scheme, where private concessionaires are in charge of operating and maintaining them. The revenue generated comes to the government and the private players are paid on a per-kilometre basis.
Currently, all buses running under the cluster scheme are standard-floor and non-AC. The Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS) manages the cluster services.
An official said that under the initial proposal, the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) was to procure these buses, but the corporation’s past record did not inspire confidence and the DIMTS was roped in.
“The prospective bidder will bring the buses with CCTV and AVTS (automatic vehicle tracking system) as per the specification finalised by the Transport Department,” an official statement said.
These buses will be over and above the 1,000 standard-floor buses, equipped with hydraulic lifts for differently abled passengers, which are being procured in parallel for the cluster services.
The overall fleet of DTC and cluster buses stands at 5,460 currently as against the Supreme Court-mandated figure of 11,000.
