At the Asian Institute of Transport Development, faculty member Anil Chhikara argued that increasing the number of buses alone wouldn't deter people from using private vehicles. Rajesh Ahuja has to reach his workplace in Nehru Place by 10 am every day. He lives in east Delhi's New Ashok Nagar, which has convenient access to both the Delhi Metro station and the bus stand. But the peak hour crowding in metro trains, difficulty of finding a seat in buses and high taxi fares compel him to use his personal vehicle. "I shell out over Rs 5,000 on petrol every month. I really cannot afford this, but do I have an option?" he asked.
Ahuja's situation resonates with thousands of daily commuters, who also are forced to use their personal vehicles. In 2024, the ascending trend in vehicle registration continued, with 7,09,024 new registrations, a 7.8% increase over the 6,57,954 in 2023. The vehicular load on the city's roads, therefore, is only increasing.
"If you want to incentivise a person to leave behind his car or two-wheeler, public transport should be good both in both quantity and quality," said Amit Bhatt, managing director, International Council on Clean Transportation India. "At present, people have to wait for a long time on several metro and bus routes. For people not to use their personal cars, seats must also be guaranteed. So perhaps, public transport should be app based."
Delhi govt launched a premium bus service last year as a public-private partnership initiative. These buses require advance booking via an app and feature air-conditioning, Wi-Fi connectivity, GPS tracking, CCTV surveillance and panic buttons. Although some private companies have begun operating these services, they currently run only on around 50 routes.
As for the govt fleet, there is a mismatch in demand and buses available. In 2018, Delhi govt informed the Supreme Court that Delhi required 11,000 buses. Ridership since then, especially after women were granted free rides, has increased and yet the Delhi Transport Corporation and Cluster Scheme fleets together number just 7,500 buses. Officials keep citing reasons for the delay in bus procurement, saying bulk manufacturing is time-consuming and electric buses have to undergo multiple tests. Another reason is because companies hesitate to enter into annual maintenance contracts due to the high wear and tear rate of govt buses.
At the Asian Institute of Transport Development, faculty member Anil Chhikara argued that increasing the number of buses alone wouldn't deter people from using private vehicles. Last mile connectivity had to be provided. He pointed out that bikes and e-rickshaws began crowding the streets in recent years to meet the demand of people disembarking from the metro train or bus and needing to go to their houses from there.
The need for a private vehicle to close the last mile gap is evidenced in 4,48,767 two wheelers registered last year, more than half total vehicle sales in the capital. There are 1.2 lakh registered e-rickshaws in Delhi, the actual number on the roads perhaps twice that figure. To fix the problem of last mile connectivity, Delhi govt had announced mohalla bus services around 18 months ago. The scheme to use the nine-metre-long buses for the purpose is only at a trial phase and is yet to fully take off.
A govt official admitted that e-rickshaws were an affordable option for people. But, he said, it is necessary to check their proliferation because they clog the streets. "If traffic crawls, the result is pollution," he said. The e-rickshaws also habitually violate traffic rules but escape punishment because they are untraceable being unregistered. Govt undertook a drive last year to crush many of these illegal rickshaws, especially since they also undergo risky and unpermitted power charging. A man was even electrocuted while charging his rickshaw in Harsh Vihar in east Delhi.
Experts said that even as Delhi Metro enhances its network and covers over 353km in the capital, major stations like Rajiv Chowk and Kashmere Gate see high peak-hour footfall, forcing passengers into crammed trains amid unsafe boarding conditions. Bhatt said, "If we carry out a survey of the metro usage, we will find a large section of students riding it, followed by people working in the unorganised sector. The number of people giving up their personal cars to ride the metro would be low."
Pinky Singh, who lives in Lado Sarai and works in Nehru Place, has no problem with the free bus rides for women, but says she is ready to pay "if I get a seat or at least a place to stand comfortably". "The problem is the same in the metro and autorickshaws never go by the meter. I wish there were a system where I could get a seat and travel comfortably, whether by train or bus. Yet I also wouldn't want to pay as much as the app-based cabs charge."
PK Sarkar, former head, transport planning, School of Planning Architecture, said, "The solution to the transport problem in Delhi is revitalising buses by accelerating procurement. Also, a system can be created for Delhi Metro where a person can pay a premium if a seat is assured." Sarkar added that there was a need for metro integration with feeder bus networks. "There is also a need for organised chartered bus services that transport people from origin to destination," he said.
Congestion pricing is also being discussed these days. "The revenue it brings should only be used for developing road infrastructure and public transport," suggested Sarkar. Taking a cue from London, New York and Singapore, Delhi govt is considering slapping a congestion tax on vehicles entering the city during peak hours — 8am to 10am and 5.30pm to 7.30pm — from 13 major points on the borders to curb traffic congestion and pollution. The plan, however, has been put on hold and will be taken up after the assembly elections.
