NEW DELHI: The government has notified the Delhi Motor Vehicles Licensing of Aggregator (Premium Buses) Scheme, 2023 which introduces the nation’s first-ever aggregator scheme for premium buses. It said that the scheme aims to encourage a modal shift in public transportation for intra-city journeys through premium bus services. These services are designed to offer quality, comfort, and reliability, thereby reducing congestion and air pollution in the city.
The scheme defines the “premium bus” as any luxury public bus having a seating capacity of not less than 9 passengers with facilities such as fully air-conditioned, pre-reserved reclining seats along with WiFi, GPS and CCTV. facilities. To be eligible for a license, applicants must have a minimum of 3 years of experience in operating and managing vehicles. They are required to maintain a fleet of a minimum of 100 passenger buses annually, or 1,000 passenger cars annually.
License applicants shall adhere to all applicable conditions related to the use of passenger vehicles, similar to the case of contract carriage buses. The scheme stipulates that the on-boarded bus shall not be more than 3 years old, in case the bus is CNG and the buses joining the service after January 1,2025, must be electric. The scheme requires that the applicants must have a corporate or branch office located within the NCR.
The aggregator licenses shall be granted upon the payment of Rs 5 lakh and will be valid for a five-year period. Renewals for another five years can be acquired before the expiry by paying Rs 2,500. Further, no license fee shall be levied on electric buses, furthering the cause of clean and sustainable transportation in Delhi. The license holders are required to operate and maintain a fleet of at least 25 premium buses of mini, midi, or standard sizes, to be made operational within 90 days from the date of grant of a license.
Key Features
Flexible Routes: License holders have flexibility to determine potential routes for operating their premium buses.
Dynamic Fares: Fares are dynamic and shall not be lower than the peak fare of DTC AC buses.
Digital Ticketing: Only pre-booked digital ticketing is permissible, with no physical tickets issued.
All charges from passengers are to be collected exclusively through electronic or digital payment modes.