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More than 2,500 old Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and cluster services' buses will go off the road by end of the year, officials said, adding that the phasing out has started in March, and till date, 397 buses have been removed from fleet.
"These buses were procured during the 2010 Commonwealth Games and many of them are being operated even after their Annual Maintenance Contract (AMC) had lapsed. These buses are in a poor condition... face problems like frequent breakdowns... and with the summers here, there are chances of these buses catching fire," said a senior official.
Officials said while these buses come with a shelf life of 12 years, including two years of maintenance, these usually ply for 15 years after their AMC lapse, if these remain in a good condition. "Permission to ply for more than 12 years is given after the buses are inspected," the official said.
According to Transport department data, of the 1,860 DTC buses, 345 have been phased out in March. The rest will be phased out by December, said officials.
Under the cluster bus services – operated under Delhi Integrated Multi Modal Transit System Limited – 997 buses have completed their shelf life even after their AMC period, approved on April 15, 2024, had expired.
Last year, after some cluster buses had completed a 10-year contract period, the department had decided to phase these out. However, then Transport minister Kailash Gahlot had directed the department to give the buses an extension of nine months.
"The concessionaires of cluster 7 and 8 buses, having around 600 buses, had received interim relief for three weeks – from April 15 to May 7 – after they moved court against the phasing out of the buses. The buses of cluster 6 and 9, meanwhile, have been phased out," said a senior official.
Asked how the department plans to fill the gap when these buses go off road, the official said, "These buses will not be phased out at one go...These will be phased out every month or as when the AMC period ends. Also, new buses are being inducted..."
Officials said that Delhi will get more than 5,000 new e-buses under National Electric Bharat Program (NEBP) Phase 1 and PM E-Drive.
"Under NEBP 1, agreements have been signed for procurement of 2,080 buses that are 9-m long for DTC and cluster services," said an official. Agreements have been signed with five concessionaires — JBM Ecolite, PMI Electro Mobility, Green Cell, White Bus, and Switch Mobility -- for the supply of these buses, officials said. Moreover, the government has sought around 1,300 buses (12-m-long) under PM E-Drive.
Also, the department has floated tenders to procure 1,900 buses — 12-m-long — of which around 400 are yet to join the fleet, said officials, adding that by the end of the year, the city will also have around 2,800 e-buses.
On Tuesday, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta will flag off 330 electric mohalla buses, procured under the AAP government. The BJP government has renamed the initiative as Delhi EV Interconnector (DEVI).
