GURGAON: Expanding its dedicated e-rickshaw service for metro commuters, the DMRC today launched 500 such green vehicles which would operate in Gurgaon to provide last-mile connectivity in the millennium city. The first fleet of e-rickshaws was flagged off from the HUDA City Centre Metro Station by Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Nitin Gadkari. "They will operate from all five stations falling in the city -- Guru Dronacharya, Sikanderpur, M G Road, IFFCO Chowk, HUDA City Centre.
By the end of this year, another fleet of 500 e- rickshaws will cover all 14 metro stations falling in Gurgaon and Faridabad," a senior official of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation said. Seeking to provide last-mile connectivity in cities neighbouring the national capital, the DMRC had introduced its first e-rickshaw service from the Vaishali Metro Station on June 5 (World Environment Day). "A fleet of 11 e-rickshaws is being run at present from Vaishali station, covering four different routes. This fleet will also be increased to 600 which would be run from all seven stations falling in Ghaziabad and Noida," he said. DMRC has partnered with a private firm, which will procure the e-rickshaws and operate the services in Gurgaon and Faridabad under the brand 'Smart-E'.
The specially-designed rickshaws with covered cabin and full-front windscreen will provide connectivity within an area of 3-4 kms around metro stations. "They are also enabled with a CCTV and GPS machine. The fares for these 'SmartE' rides have been kept very nominal at a base price of Rs 10 for the first 2 km and Rs 5 for next per kilometre subsequently. "The commuters of Gurgaon region can also avail all the relevant information regarding this facility on a helpline -- +91 8010400600," the DMRC official said. Both DMRC and the private operator are closely working to enable metro smart cards for making payment for the 'SmartE' ride, as part of a vision to introduce 'Common Mobility Card', the official said.
Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Planning Rao Inderjit Singh and DMRC Managing Director Mangu Singh and other senior officials were also present on the occasion. "DMRC tries to incorporate eco-friendly initiatives in all its spheres of functioning. "So, ensuring dedicated e-rickshaw service at the metro stations will enable the commuters to prefer non-polluting public transport modes over personal vehicles," Singh had said on the launch of the first service in June. DMRC operates around 291 feeder buses on 42 routes connecting 54 metro stations in Delhi. Around two lakh people use the feeder bus service on a daily basis. DMRC also encourages the use of bicycles by commuters, to and from metro stations, he said.
The Delhi Metro network spans two major cities each in Haryana -- Gurgaon and Faridabad; and Uttar Pradesh -- Noida and Ghaziabad. The Huda City Centre station falls on the Gurgaon-end of the Yellow Line (Huda City Centre/Samyapur Badli) of the network.