The idea is to make the bus or the Metro the way to go for city employees. That was the word from officials on Monday as the Delhi Transport Corporation readies these special runs. The city is putting more stock in its rail and road network to sidestep any fuel hiccups.
It all fits in with the 90-day ‘Mera Bharat, Mera Yogdan’ drive Chief Minister Rekha Gupta put out this week. On top of the two days of work-from-home now required of every Delhi government worker, there is a firm push to use public transit.
What’s behind it? Fuel worries over the situation in West Asia and the usual rush-hour gridlock. The new service is to close the last-mile gap for those in the Delhi Administration Flats and make the trip to the office a bit more fluid.
How the shuttles will run
You’ll find the shuttles running between the flats and the closest metro stops or the Secretariat, timed to when you have to be at your desk. There are also feeder lines set up to ITO (Gates 4 and 5) and the Delhi Gate station. The message to the staff in these flats is to put the buses to good use.
Electric buses on the core corridor
Then there are the DEVI electric buses DTC will be putting on the road. They’ll be out in the 9 to 11 am and 6 to 8 pm windows, with pick-up spots at the Supreme Court, Bharat Mandapam, Indraprastha and other points near where the action is.
Who can use and where to board
It’s a way to keep things moving in the central district when it’s at its peak. If you’re on the Blue Line, an order says you can hop off at Indraprastha and take a DTC shuttle to the Secretariat while they are in operation.
We’re talking about first-mile access for a number of neighbourhoods: Mayur Vihar, Vasant Kunj, Model Town, Greater Kailash, the CWG Village, Timarpur, Dwarka and so on.
The whole thing is put together to be no-nonsense. Buses start at 9 and head back in the late afternoon or early evening. You get a commute you can count on without having to put in the miles in your own car.
Key developments at a glance:
– 54 buses to operate as a dedicated service
– Morning operations commence 9 am
– Evening services run 5 pm to 8 pm
What comes next
In a sense, it’s a trial to see if you can change habits with the right kind of last-mile connection. With 54 buses and the electric options in play, we’ll see in the coming weeks if the capital’s employees are on board with the change.
