NEW DELHI: CM Rekha Gupta on Thursday flagged off new electric buses and relaunched the University Special (U-Special) bus service for college students from the Delhi University Sports Complex, calling it a step towards safe, clean and student-friendly public transport.
The service, revived after over a decade, began with 25 electric buses covering 67 DU colleges and other institutions.
Equipped with CCTV cameras, panic buttons and in-bus radio, the U-Special buses will link North Campus, South Campus, JNU, IIT Delhi and key residential areas. Routes have been mapped to suit students’ convenience, including Narela–Patel Chest, Najafgarh–Aurobindo College, Purnachandra Hostel–Ramjas College and Rithala Metro–Aditi College.
Gupta also rode a U-Special to her alma mater, Daulat Ram College, sharing a video on X in which she sang “Ae Watan Watan Mere Aabad Rahe Tu” with students playing guitars and conga. Posting a selfie with students and teachers, she wrote, “College, friendship, and guitar…U-Special has returned.”
Recalling her student days, Gupta credited the college for shaping her career and giving her the confidence to become Delhi University Students’ Union president. “Daulat Ram is much more than walls and classrooms for me. It gave me direction, dreams and purpose,” she said, adding that the buses had stopped running by 1998 when she graduated, “but today, I have brought them back.”
The CM said her government is also working on concessional metro passes for students. “While the previous government made U-turns, ours is in forward gear,” she remarked.
