NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday flagged off 100 more “ultra modern” buses equipped with CCTV cameras, panic buttons, hydraulic lifts for differently abled passengers and GPS tracking systems. “Hundreds of new buses will be added within the next five to six months. I want to congratulate the people of Delhi,” the chief minister said. Stating that 1,000 electric buses will also be inducted very soon in Delhi, Kejriwal said,“It is my dream to modernize Delhi’s public transport infrastructure so that it becomes a comfortable option for every citizen.”
The buses were flagged-off from the Rajghat Depot, at a ceremony attended by the Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot and officers of the transport department, DTC and DIMTS. While 25 new buses had hit the roads of Delhi in August, 100 were flagged off in October, 200 in November and another 100 were added earlier this month.
“A total of 525 new buses with ultra modern facilities have hit Delhi roads since August. These are 37 seater buses with hydraulic lifts for the convenience of differently abled people,” Gahlot said. “Fourteen panic buttons have been installed inside the buses...each side has seven buttons. At the same time, three CCTV cameras have been installed in each bus,” he added. In addition to the above buses, 1,000 low-floor AC buses are also being inducted in the scheme.
Delhi Transport Corporation has floated tenders for the purchase of 300 electric buses. These buses will be in addition to 1,000 cluster e-buses, which are already scheduled to be added to the existing fleet. The tendering process is likely to be completed by 15th December 2019. Financial bids for 1,000 low-floor, airconditioned, CNG-run cluster buses have also been opened.