Fleet of low-floor buses to roll out in the coming days
Fleet of low-floor buses to roll out in the coming days
South Delhi residents can look forward to journeys of comfort in the near future.
If all goes well, the bus commuters will avail the facilities of private low-floor buses before the Commonwealth Games in October. The Delhi government on Monday is likely to execute an agreement with Star Bus Services owner of the first cluster of buses that'll be rolled out soon.u00a0u00a0
"The agreement is likely to be signed within a day or two. For the first six months, we will do the operational work. As soon as the agreement is put into action, we will order the buses," said Nitin Garg, managing director, Star Bus Service.
The first cluster of buses will run on 32 routes in south Delhi including the BRT corridor. As per the agreement, the operator has to rope in the buses within one year of signing the memorandum of understating (MoU). After six months of signing the agreement, the process of delivering the buses will begin.u00a0
"A total of 231 low-floor buses will comprise the first cluster. After six months from signing of the MoU, 40 buses will be delivered every month. And within one year, the operator will have to rope in all the buses on the cluster," said a senior transport department official.
The Delhi High Court had earlier extended the deadline to phase out Blueline buses from south Delhi, as the government had failed in finalising the operator. The court suggested that the phase out should begin once the new buses arrive. Meanwhile, the government has already floated the tenders for three more clusters, and is in the process of finalising the operators.
ADVERTISEMENT
The first cluster of buses will be fitted with global positioning system. There will also be a central control room to track the buses, monitored by a government agency. The buses in this system will be run by the operator itself unlike in the case of the Blueline bus system. However, the revenue will go into the kitty of the government.
An amount of Rs 47.50 per kilometre will be paid to the operator by government. The operator will get a depot for workshop and parking purposes. The conductor will be selected by the government agency while the driver will be recruited by the operator itself.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
