NEW DELHI: When Delhi’s first electric bus was flagged off in January, it also became the first new bus in a decade and the first under the cluster model to be inducted in Delhi Transport Corporation’s (DTC) fleet.
The public carrier now boasts of 152 e-buses running under a cluster model, which appears to be DTC’s path as it moves towards an electric future.
With the aim to modernise the debt-ridden corporation, Delhi government has planned to form a committee headed by the transport commissioner, apart from DTC’s managing director and, if needed, an expert.
Transport minister Kailash Gahlot told TOI that the plan was “only to align DTC with induction of electric buses and bus lane enforcement”. “The decision to set up a committee was taken for DTC’s reform centering around modernisation and making it an institution that is well-prepared for the future, which is electric,” Ashish Kundra, principal secretary-cum-transport commissioner told TOI.
Kundra said under the current Operating Expenses model, the bus belongs to manufacturers and they are provided infrastructure, including power up to the depot level. He said DTC’s drivers were currently engaged in the existing CNG-run fleet, but as these buses are phased out, they would be deployed in the new ones.
“With a clear mandate on mainly electric buses going to be inducted in the future, there is a need to introduce more technology in operations. You need to have some institutional reforms to deal with this electric fleet. Human resource management will also be required keeping this change in mind,” said Kundra.
In future, electric buses would be provided and operated by bus manufacturers themselves so that they have a stake for the entire life of the vehicle. However, the staff and assets would remain with DTC and the government would set the bus fare and define the trips to be taken by buses.
KC Malik of Delhi Parivahan Mazdoor Sangh said in a recent meeting they were told that the new buses would also be driven by DTC drivers. “However, this will eventually lead to DTC losing its identity completely. DTC is an autonomous body that was handed over by the Centre to Delhi government in 1996 for operations. If they are unable to do so, it should be handed back to the Centre,” he added.
