NEW DELHI: The Delhi government on Wednesday launched a trial run of Mohalla buses on two new routes, covering six to seven DU colleges, prominent malls and metro stations. These buses are on trial for seven days, from the Kailash Colony metro station to PNB Geetanjali (by DTC) and from the Lok Kalyan Marg metro station to Vasant Vihar (by DIMTS).
The buses were flagged off by minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, Malviya Nagar MLA Somnath Bharti and RK Puram MLA Parmila Tokas in their respective Assembly constituencies.
Transport minister Kailash Gahlot said through Mohalla buses, all the important places at the local level are being connected with public transport, so that first and last-mile connectivity can be ensured.
“We have also included major educational institutions like Motilal Nehru College, Jesus and Mary College, Maitreyi College, Sri Venkateswara College, LSR College, Central School and Vocational College as stops in the trial of Mohalla buses on the two new routes, so that transport needs of the residents living nearby as well as students can be met,” he said.
Bharadwaj said for a long time, there was a demand from the people of ‘posh’ colonies, such as Greater Kailash Part-1 and Malviya Nagar, for a small-bus service, like the Mohalla Bus Service, for them. The minister also noted that the route covers several metro stations, the Saket Mall, three big markets as well as big hospitals, such as PSRI and Max.
“If you provide last-mile connectivity from the metro station to home through this Mohalla bus service, then you can also address the pollution in Delhi, you can also address congestion. These are electric buses with zero pollution. This is a good step,” Bharadwaj said.
The Mohalla Bus Scheme aims at providing feeder bus services to city residents around their homes through nine-metre-long electric buses, to operate on congested roads with limited width.