NEW DELHI: The Delhi cabinet gave its nod on Wednesday for inducting 1,950 buses into the city’s public transport fleet. Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said that these buses would start rolling out within the next three months.
With the tenders for the new buses going to be floated soon, the city would then have nearly 12,000 public buses by the end of 2024.
“Earlier, a big problem in Delhi was the inadequate number of buses because they hadn’t been procured for many years. At present, there are more than 7,200 buses in the public bus fleet, the highest ever in the city,” Kejriwal said in a digital press briefing on Wednesday, adding that the capital needed around 12,000 buses and this target would be achieved by December 2024.
The CM said that Delhi Government will soon issue tenders to buy 4,880 new buses and by December 2024, there would be 11,910 buses running on city roads. “Delhi's transport sector will be developed to international standards by integrating all modes of transport,” he said.
Kejriwal claimed that after making significant advancements in public healthcare and education, Delhi government was now placing a high priority on transportation in order to give citizens modern and pleasant transportation options.
He added that the lack of bus purchases over a long period had been a major issue till now. “Large-scale procurement of the buses began in the last few years. This is evidence that we have repaired this system. With the comfort of people and Delhi's weather in mind, we are concentrating on buying air-conditioned electric buses,” the CM said. Delhi is slated to become the state with the highest number of public e-buses in the country by December 2024, Delhi government added in a statement.
The CM said that the delivery of these buses would begin from August this year and all the buses would have arrived by September next year. “Additionally, 4,800 bus tenders will be issued soon because some of the earlier buses will need to be replaced after finishing their life,” he said.
Claiming that the government’s current goal was to modernise the entire transportation network in accordance with international standards, Kejriwal said, “We need to combine and modernise our various modes of transportation, which include Delhi Metro and the taxis. The transportation industry will now be the centre of our attention.”
Transport minister Kailash Gahlot tweeted, “Huge congrats to Delhi! Delhi Cabinet has given its nod for 1,950 low-floor AC state-of-the-art buses. Delhi's bus fleet is growing more than ever & in less than 2 years we'll have the largest electric bus fleet ever.”
