App-based premium buses likely by October in Delhi

NEW DELHI: People of Delhi will soon be able to book a reserved seat on a bus through a mobile app for going to their office or any other place. Work on the Delhi government’s app-based premium bus aggregator scheme, which will allow private bus operators to offer premium services, is in the final stage.
Transport minister Kailash Gahlot said that the objective of this scheme is to help reduce intra-city trips in private cars. “The premium bus service will relieve the regular car users of the daily problem of parking and exposure of their cars to the hazards of traffic,” he added.
The policy is likely to be passed within two months and the buses may start offering services within six months, an official said.
The scheme is mainly for those passengers who are willing to pay but want convenient premium public transport service, an official said. He added that the bus operators would have to provide high quality, comfortable, convenient and efficient transport service. “All these buses will be air-conditioned and standing passengers won’t be allowed.”
While the service will be offered by private operators, they will have to meet the regulations set by the transport department.
The official further said, “The operators will have to notify routes on the mobile app and intimate the transport department before starting a new route or terminating an existing one. The bus fare will have to be displayed on the app. The operator will also have to provide a mechanism for the passengers to lodge complaints.”
“Tickets will only be available through mobile and web-based applications. Physical tickets will not be issued. These buses will pick up and drop passengers from the notified bus queue shelters,” he stated.
With 4.2 million people using buses for commuting every day, it is the most popular form of public transit in Delhi. However, it is yet to match up to the international standards that can motivate people to stop using their personal cars and switch to it.
Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, while announcing the scheme last year, had said that the government’s plan was to provide good premium quality bus service so that people could leave their private vehicles and use public transport. “We want to encourage all such citizens who make intra-city trips every day to opt for a cleaner, more comfortable and efficient mode of public transport,” he said.