Pilot project to rationalise long bus routes from Najafgarh soon

A pilot project to rationalise bus routes in Delhi will be launched in southwest Delhi’s Najafgarh by September-end.

The Delhi Integrated Multi-modal Transport System (DIMTS) — which is looking after the project — has identified 20 ‘super trunk’ routes, or routes that connect long distances, to improve connectivity in far-off neighbourhoods that face major problems in accessing public transport.

The pilot project will be used to conduct a comprehensive study on travel demands and preparing proposals to rationalise routes and improve last-mile connectivity in the city.

Officials in the Delhi government said 107 buses will be required to implement the pilot project. If successful, it may be extended to other parts of the city.

“The super trunk routes identified will be direction-oriented, high-frequency and easy to understand. For instance, there will be a direct bus route connecting Najafgarh and Kashmere Gate ISBT. At present, only a few buses ply on these long routes,” said a senior official who did not wish to be named.

The routes will be branded with different names and logos to make them easily accessible and to create awareness, the official said.

The bus queue shelters, interchange points and public information systems such as LED screens and signboards, too, will be branded differently to attract more commuters and make the scheme more viable.

But in order to arrange the number of buses required for the project, the government’s transport department has been asked to explore the possibility of withdrawing buses running on low-demand routes.

Besides cluster buses run by DIMTS, the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) too has been asked to check if it could withdraw some buses from low-load routes to contribute to the Najafgarh study.

Delhi transport minister Kailash Gahlot said, “We have organised 70 buses for the project and it may be launched anytime soon. On the basis of the pilot project’s findings, we will implement the model all over Delhi.”

The route rationalisation study was first conceived in 2017 after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) pulled up the Delhi government for not upgrading the city’s bus system.

Following this, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had asked DIMTS to prepare a new comprehensive route rationalistaion plan for all buses, including Metro feeder bus services.

It was also decided that the pilot project would be conducted in Najafgarh, which is also Gahlot’s constituency.

The initiative was launched this July under the logo ‘Delhi Connect’.