Despite the induction of 568 new low-floor buses to its existing fleet of 3,100 buses recently, the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) is suffering a loss of Rs 6 crore a month. The reason for DTC?s fast declining revenue graph?shortage of drivers.
?Because of this, almost 250 buses in the morning and 1,000 buses in the evening do not come out of the depots. These buses are proving to be white elephants which are missing almost 7,000 trips daily,? DTC officials told FE .
The corporation had sent a demand to the Delhi Subordinate Services Board (DSSB) to arrange for 10,000 drivers. But the board has not been able to provide a single candidate. The deadline fixed for the recruitment was July 2008.
Of the 3,021 ordinary buses (DTC?s old fleet), only 2,800 buses come on the roads in the morning shift. In the evening shift, only 60%? about 1,800 buses ? come out of the depots to service Delhi?s commuters.
The situation is worse in case of the new fleet of low-floor buses. Only 50 buses come on the roads in the morning. Insiders suggest that nearly 90% of these buses miss the trips. The reason is attributed to the shortage of drivers.
A DTC official said, ?DSSB was requested to provide eligible drivers as soon as possible and the remaining number should be called for tests. However, the request was rejected and the DSSB said that all the candidates will be sent at one go. Now, it all depends on the availability of drivers.?
