50 Blue Low-floor AC Buses to Ply on Delhi Roads from December

Delhi is expected to see 50 blue buses plying on streets from December onwards. These buses are part of the Delhi government's plan to introduce 1,000 low-floor air-conditioned buses under its cluster scheme.

A report by The Times of India, quoted a government official saying that for the first time low-floor buses are being introduced in the cluster scheme that has a fleet of over 1,900 standard-floor buses.

Delhi already has red buses, which are air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned green buses which are run-by Delhi Transport Corporation or DTC. The national capital also has orange coloured standard-floor, non-air-conditioned buses plying that are run under the cluster scheme.

The report quoted the official saying that a number of colours were discussed before zeroing in on blue for the low-floor air-conditioned buses.

Around 12 lakh people commute every day in approximately 1,908 cluster buses in Delhi, the report said.

The government official told the daily that the first batch of low-floor buses were to arrive in Delhi in January 2020, but efforts were made to bring them earlier. He added that they hope to make first lot of 50 buses operational by December.

The official further added that the 1,000 low-floor buses will be convenient for the boarding and alighting of the differently-abled, elderly people, children as well as women.

The report mentioned the official saying that of the 1,000 buses, contract for 650 low-floor buses has been handed over by the transport department of the Delhi government for three clusters, while the tender of the remaining 350 buses will be floated "very soon".

The Delhi government is also introducing 1,000 standard-floor buses with hydraulic lifts of which 229 have already been inducted in the cluster scheme fleet since August, the report stated.

These buses have 37 seats and have features like GPS trackers, 14 panic buttons with hooters, three CCTV cameras and hydraulic lifts.

Delhi government is also coming up with 1,000 electric buses the report said. In tender for the 300 low-floor electric buses was floated on October 30.

Apart from this, the Delhi government is also planning to introduce single day travel pass for travelling in cluster scheme buses, the report said.