NEW DELHI: The capital’s public transport system is in the grip of a worsening crisis, with over 2,400 buses pulled off the roads in the past 18 months and no adequate replacements in sight. The Delhi government, which withdrew over 550 buses last week, is now preparing to phase out another 1,700 by March.
Officials said the majority of these will be retired over the next eight months, with the trend expected to continue into the next financial year. “Permits for most CNG buses have expired and they are currently being run on special permissions, which will end in the coming months,” said a senior transport official.
However, the removal of aging vehicles has not been matched by sufficient new inductions. While electric buses are being added in phases, the gap left by the depleting CNG fleet remains wide. “Currently, only 2,920 CNG buses are operational—less than half the number on the roads in early 2024. In January 2024, the city’s total bus fleet—including CNG and electric buses—stood at around 8,240. As of July 2025, the number has dropped to just 5,835,” official said.
“More than 1,000 buses are set to be decommissioned this month alone. These include 553 CNG buses operated by the Delhi Integrated Multimodal Transit System (DIMTS), whose contract expired on July 15, and 452 additional ageing buses from the DTC fleet. Between February and July, over 2,200 buses will have gone off the roads,” the officials added.
Despite the government’s push for electrification, the scale and pace of new deployments are falling short. According to transport department estimates, Delhi needs 14,000 buses to cater to a daily ridership of over 45 lakh.
Depot managers say the shortfall is already impacting commuters. Long waits, overcrowded buses, and cancelled services have become frequent. Commenting on the crisis, the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee said DTC urgently needs structural reform. “Both the previous AAP and the current BJP governments have failed to revive Delhi’s collapsed public transport system. Ridership and service routes have dropped by over 40% since Sheila Dikshit’s tenure,” said Congress leader and former Transport Minister Haroon Yusuf.