80 more Delhi public buses to improve rural links

[Hindustan Times, 4/14/2022]

The number of public buses in Delhi rose to 7031, the highest for the city so far, with transport minister Kailash Gahlot inducting 80 low-floor air-conditioned CNG buses under the Delhi government’s cluster scheme… Currently cluster buses are operated on 328 city routes network. The additional 80 buses will be deployed on 9 additional cluster routes from newly constructed bus deports in Ghumanhera village in order to improve rural connectivity… According to various court orders, Delhi is supposed to have at least 10,000-11,000 public transport buses to cater to its population of nearly 20 million. Amit Bhatt, Managing Director for India at the International Council on Clean Transportation, said, “Buses are vital for sustainable development of Delhi. Delhi government needs to be congratulated for adding more buses in city. It is also time that Delhi government develops a long-term plan to shift to even cleaner option – electric buses because with e-buses the impact would be even more significant.”