DMRC to purchase GPS-equipped feeder buses

To make the Delhi Metro stations easily accessible to commuters, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is launching a “Metro Link Bus Service” scheme under which it will purchase CNG-fitted feeder buses and hand them over to private operators to run. In the initial phase, about 60 Swaraj Mazda and Tata vehicles will be bought by DMRC for operation along 36 routes. The numbers will be increased subject to the viability of the project and decision of DMRC and State Transport Authority (STA), Metro rail officials said. Each bus will have a maximum seating capacity for 18 to 24 people and a maximum standing capacity of 10. The total length of each route will be 3 km to 15 km and the time schedule will be determined by DMRC on the basis of requirements of commuters and traffic conditions. DMRC officials said the buses would be handed over to private operators on lease-and-transfer basis. The operators will be required to pay back the cost of the vehicles in five years after which they will become owners of the buses. The buses will be fitted with Global Positioning Systems (GPS) so that their movements can be tracked. They will also have provision for use of smart cards, which may be made operational at a later stage. The proposed fare structure is Rs. 5 for a distance up to 8 km and Rs. 8 for a distance above 8 km, monthly passes have also been proposed at the rate of Rs. 450 for distance up to 8 km and Rs.720 for distance above 8 km. Some of the Metro stations to be covered by these routes are: Welcome, Shastri Park, Vishwa Vidyalaya, Inderlok, Keshav Puram, Netaji Subhas Place, Pitampura, Rohini East, Rohini West, Kirti Nagar, Indraprastha, Subhash Nagar, Janakpuri West, Dwarka Mor, Dwarka Sec-10, Dwarka Sec-11, Dwarka Sec- 14 and Dwarka Sec-16. Feeder buses to Metro stations, which are already running under STA permit will continue to operate as usual, DMRC officials said.- The Hindu