First fleet of AC Metro feeder buses to be introduced by year end
NEW DELHI: In addition to chilling inside air-conditioned trains, commuters in the Delhi Metro network will soon get the luxury of AC Metro feeder bus services, with Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) planning to introduce over 500 such buses – both electric and CNG – by December.
An official of DMRC said that the Corporation is all set to launch its first fleet of fivce buses from Punjabi Bagh Cluster, each with 34 seats, equipped with smart technology and with no conductors.
“These electric buses are going to be low-floor AC buses, operated from the battery. Moreover, the fare would be collect via smart card of the Delhi Metro,” the official further said.
“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 also announced that it will support DMRC in inducting 905 AC feeder buses. In the first phase, however, DMRC plans to induct 530 buses,” he added.
He said that while DMRC will be responsible for the services of the AC feeder buses, the Corporation is hiring private agencies for operating the buses.
“These agencies will be responsible for maintenance and services. Initially, the agency will be hired for 10 years. The Corporation will take strict action, if any complaint is received against the services of these buses,” he said.
He added that steps are taken to promote last-mile connectivity with an ample facilities. In this regard, meetings were in progress with the Delhi government for a while and, now, clearance has been given.
Feeder buses will run at a frequency of five minutes each, within a radius of five km from their respective Metro stations.
“The Corporation will hire an another firm to monitor operations of buses on routes,” he said. The process of hiring the agency – for a period of 10 years – for operation of buses in the Punjabi Bagh cluster has already started.