Mohalla buses garner praise from Delhi residents during trial run
A seven-day trial run of the Mohalla bus service was flagged off by Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot on Monday.
| Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR
Shiv, a retiree who depends on public transport to get to his various medical appointments, was impressed when the new Mohalla bus picked him up from right outside his house in Gharoli and dropped him at Akshardham Metro Station. “I really enjoyed the speed and convenience of the service,” he said, adding that it had halved his usual commute.
The Mohalla bus service, announced by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government last year and rolled out for a week-long trial on Monday, aims to bridge last-mile connectivity in the Capital. The sleek nine-metre-long buses are powered by an electric battery, and are designed to penetrate previously unserviced areas like crowded neighbourhoods with narrow lanes where the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC)‘s standard 12-metre buses were unable to ply. They will also better connect key transport points like metro stations.
The buses are operating on two routes during their trial period — Pradhan Enclave Pushta to Majlis Park Metro Station and Akshardham Metro Station to Mayur Vihar Phase-III Paper Market — but the service will be expanded based on the feedback received during the trial, Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot had said on Monday while inaugurating the project. Each route will also be shorter than those of DTC buses, and will cover less than 10 km.
For now, fares will remain the same as they are for DTC buses, and pink passes, which allow women to avail of free transport, will remain valid. Future fares for the fully implemented scheme have not been disclosed yet.
Residents who availed of the trial bus service said it would not only help them save precious time and money while commuting, but also cut out the need to take autorickshaws or change several bus routes to get to their destination.
“I normally use an autorickshaw to get to Mayur Vihar-I Metro Station, which had become quite unaffordable, so this new route is working out well for me,” said Sumit, a professional from Trilokpuri. “I’ve used this bus on all the days it has been operational. It’s not just about the money I’ve saved, but also how reliable it seems to be,” he said, adding that he hopes the route becomes permanent.
A college student from Kondli also welcomed the service, remarking that it had considerably reduced his travel time and expenditure. “These buses work well for students like me. I usually walk or take multiple buses, which is tiring in this heat. I also don’t have much money to spare,” he said.
The service is currently utilising 100 buses acquired from the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), but the Delhi government plans to introduce 2,180 such buses by 2025. All buses are equipped with six battery packs with a total capacity of 196 kW, providing a range of over 200 km with a 45-minute charging time.
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