The Delhi Government is soon planning to launch Premium Buses, in which passengers would be able to book tickets with their phones. The Capital city will witness the launch of premium buses that will be deployed with the help of aggregators. Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister of Delhi in a press conference stressed the notion that his government is working in the direction to make then public transport comfortable, safe and punctual. 

The launch date for this service is not yet determined as the necessary approvals are awaited. Arvind Kejriwal provided further details on the proposed scheme, stating that the Delhi Motor Vehicles Licensing of Aggregator (Premium Buses) Scheme, 2023, aims to establish a premium intra-city bus service with app-based booking, no standing passengers, and higher fares than other buses, including those operated by the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC). The buses will operate on CNG or electric power and will feature essential safety equipment such as CCTV, GPS, and panic buttons. 

In addition, Kejriwal noted that the advent of the Delhi Metro two decades ago was a pivotal moment in the city’s public transportation system. Still, despite the expansion of the Metro service, people in Delhi rely mostly on the buses, with around 3.5 million people using the system every day. In comparison, Delhi’s Metro average daily ridership is 4.5 million. The state government is aiming to increase the strength of the fleet to 11,000 and have 80  per cent of all public buses in Delhi running on electricity by 2025.

Officials who are familiar with the plan have confirmed that the premium buses will not provide free rides for women. The Chief Minister has stated that the proposal will be made available for public feedback, and the government will integrate valuable recommendations into the plan.

This is not the first instance where the Delhi government has suggested such a proposal. In May 2016, the government had initially approved a premium bus service scheme, but it was denied by the former Lieutenant Governor, Najeeb Jung.

At present, Delhi operates a fleet of 7,379 public buses (3,319 cluster buses and 4,060 DTC buses), which includes 300 electric buses that serve over 600 bus routes. Kejriwal emphasized that all buses must have a consistent, colour-coded logo, and the bus aggregators will be permitted to advertise inside the bus and collect revenue on that basis

“The aggregator can decide the route on which they want to run. They only need to inform the state government about the route that they want to operate on. They will want to operate on a route where there is more traffic, and, therefore with this service, the number of private vehicles on that route is likely to reduce,” added Kejriwal.

He also added that the scheme permits aggregators to independently create bus routes, but they must provide comprehensive information to the government. Private aggregators will run the buses and must acquire a license from the Delhi government by paying a fee. The license fee for electric buses utilized in the service will be waived.