To reduce pollution, AAP govt may reduce fares of public transport by 50%

The Delhi government is mulling reducing fares of Delhi Transport Corporation and cluster buses (orange) by over 50 per cent to promote use of public transport and discourage people from using personal vehicles to bring down pollution.

A decision on the issue will be announced by the government in next one or two days. The new fares are expected to come into effect from January, a senior official said.

The government's move comes a few days after Lt Governor Najeeb Jung had asked the Aam Aadmi Party dispensation to work out the modalities of reducing fares of both AC and non-AC buses to promote use of public transport in the city.

However, new fares will be enforced in both DTC and cluster buses, operated by Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS).

Last week, the Lt Governor had directed the transport department to reduce bus fares across different slabs for the next two months keeping the winter season in mind.

Normally, winter months witness a spurt in pollution.

In Paris, after a spike in pollution, the authorities had recently made public transport free of cost to encourage people to shun private cars, the senior official said, adding, the Delhi government drew inspiration from the move.