The Delhi government’s mohalla bus service began operating on two routes on Monday and will be trialled for a week, Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said. “The introduction of the mohalla bus service marks a significant step towards enhancing last-mile connectivity in our city,” Gahlot said.
The two routes in question are Pradhan Enclave Pushta to Majlis Park Metro Station and Akshardham Metro Station to Mayur Vihar Phase-III Paper Market. The trial run will last for seven days. “The trial will help us gather essential feedback to ensure the service meets the needs of Delhiites,” the minister said.
He stated during a press conference that the administration intends to introduce all 2,080 buses under the programme by 2025. According to the minister, 1,040 of these will be run by the DTC, and the remaining ones by DIMTS.
Providing specifics on the buses being utilised for the service, he stated that they are built to handle extremely crowded regions with narrow roads, giving the residents a dependable and effective mode of transportation. The cost would be the same as that of Delhi government AC buses, and women can ride for free with Pink cards.
The minister revealed that IIT-Delhi is among the organisations assisting in the finalisation of the routes.
The buses have a 196KW total capacity and are painted green to make them easy to spot by passengers. They have a range of more than 200 km and a 45-minute chance to charge. These nine-meter buses can accommodate thirteen people standing and 23 passengers in seats. According to a statement, six seats are painted pink to indicate that they are earmarked for female passengers.
To improve last-mile connectivity, the Delhi government now operates 100 buses that it purchased from the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). These mohalla buses have a maximum route length of 10 kilometres.
According to Gahlot, these buses will improve first- and last-mile connection, especially in places where the size and turning radius of conventional 12-meter buses provide operational difficulties. For the purpose of parking and maintaining mohalla buses, the Delhi government constructed sixteen depots throughout the city.
(with inputs from PTI)