NEW DELHI: Amid rise in pollution level in the city, the Delhi government has decided to explore pooling of electric bus services across the National Capital Region (NCR) for seamless commuting across the capital and adjacent towns. Importantly, the government is likely to seek the participation of private players in this plan.
This decision was made after CM Rekha Gupta reviewed pollution control measures at the Secretariat on Monday.
The government will soon initiate discussions with companies such as Ola and Uber to push this scheme.
The proposal aims to explore the operation of pooled and shared electric or non-polluting buses in the NCR. Officials feel that such initiatives will reduce people’s dependence on private vehicles and strengthen environment-friendly public transport. The chief minister stated that achieving zero emissions in the capital remains a key priority of the government.
Estimates suggest that Delhi has over 600 bus routes, out of which the Delhi Transport Corporation operates buses in 259 and cluster buses operate on 209 routes, while both formats are used in 138 routes. If the government’s pooling scheme becomes operational, the total number of routes is likely to rise significantly.