Delhi govt to launch premium bus aggregator service to encourage people: CM

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday announced the Delhi government will introduce a premium bus aggregator scheme to encourage the upper middle class to switch to public transport.

Addressing a press conference here, he said the scheme will be notified following Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) V K Saxena's approval.

"When the metro started in Delhi, there were many people who stopped using scooters and started using the metro. But when the metro trains started getting crowded, they again went back to using their own vehicles. People from the lower middle class and economy classes travel in buses but with this scheme, people from the upper middle class will also opt for public transport," Kejriwal said.

Under this scheme, he said, the aggregators who take licenses will have to ply air-conditioned buses with not less than nine seats.

"No standing passengers will be allowed and the payment will be made digitally. The aggregators will have to maintain fleets of a minimum of 25 buses. From January 1, 2025, the entire bus fleet should be electric," he added.

Kejriwal said the routes for these buses will be decided based on the demand and the aggregators will just have to inform the Transport Department about them.

"The fares will be dynamic and not less than the peak fare of DTC air-conditioned buses. These buses will not compete with DTC buses," he said.