The bus service is also aimed at encouraging people using personal cars to opt for public transport instead.Ahead of next year's assembly polls in the national capital, Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) is set to revive its interstate bus service. This time, however, instead of acquiring its own vehicles, the corporation intends to operate the service on a revenue-sharing model.
The buses will cover not only states close to Delhi, such as Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, but most likely distant destinations as well, including the educational hubs of Bengaluru and Kota.
"I have given instructions to DTC to form a comprehensive plan to extend bus facilities to other states. We will operate on a revenue-sharing model with private bus operators," transport minister Kailash Gahlot said on Monday.
He added, "These buses will have comfortable seats and app-based ticketing for commuters travelling between the national capital, NCR cities, neighbouring states and even far-off places like Bengaluru."
A senior official said in its board meeting, DTC gave in-principle approval for running premium buses within NCR and intercity operations. These buses will have push-back seats and other features. For inter-city services up to 200 km, the vehicles will be electric. Beyond 200 km, BS VI buses are likely, said the official.
"The idea is to reduce congestion and offer an alternative mode of transport to office-goers and other people in NCR. We will bring private players to induct the buses. The concept would be demand-driven," he added.
Another official said, "The buses will be equipped with CCTV cameras, GPS and panic buttons, providing convenient and safer travel for long-distance commuters."
The bus service is also aimed at encouraging people using personal cars to opt for public transport instead. "The plan is to run air-conditioned premium buses for those who can afford slightly higher fares," said the official.
Other destinations that may be included are Shimla, Lucknow, Aligarh, Meerut and Jaipur. DTC had regular buses to areas in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, UP, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan, but began discontinuing services from 2001 onwards as its fleet switched entirely to CNG, which is not easily available in these states, making long-distance travel almost impossible.
By 2010, DTC's interstate operations became limited to NCR because, on average, a CNG-run low-floor bus has a range of about 250km per fill. There were plans to extend the services to areas within range, like Meerut or Hapur, but they didn't materialise.
A DTC official said the corporation's interstate bus services were very popular and most commuters preferred them over buses of other state transport corporations. At the time, DTC buses connected the national capital to cities such as Jaipur, Chandigarh, Udaipur, Shimla, Hardwar, Chamba, Dharamsala, Ganganagar and Pathankot.
