DTC chartered buses to ease traffic woes

Wednesday, April 28, 2010


After a bad day at office standing at a bus stop alongwith hundreds in anticipation of a bus isn't exactly the best way to end a day. Well, neither is honking aimlessly in choc-a-bloc traffic while you're expected at a meeting in office the best way to kickstart a day. So, to put an end to the woes of those, who are forced to travel in overcrowded buses at office hubs that are brimming in the evening and to ease traffic during rush hour by offering a viable solution to those, who commute by their car, DTC plans to start chartered buses from popular residential areas to office hubs.

Once implemented, it will relieve office-goers, who have to battle rush hour traffic and is also welcomed by those, who are forced to travel in buses on set routes, take multiple modes of transport or change buses to reach their workplace.

Ritika Pandit, HR executive, who commutes to work daily from Vasundhara to Sant Nagar, avers, "It might be a relief for people like me, who are forced to change buses and autos on their route to get to work everyday."

The transport department is finalising routes and feasibility quotient of implementing the plan, but it is clear that residential areas like Mayur Vihar, I.P. Extension and Rohini will be the emanation points while commercial hubs like Okhla, Nehru Place, Rajendra Place, C.G.O. and the likes will be where its services shall terminate.

Priyanka Thakkar, copywriter who commutes from Rajinder Nagar to Nehru Place by a private chartered bus, welcomes the move, but doubts whether it could help make Delhi's traffic any better. "DTC buses aren't really beneficial as these only run on selective routes. Chartered buses these days are actually more economical than normal DTC buses and above all there are plenty of DTC buses plying and it already is congested, so introducing more buses during office going hours would mean further trouble," she says.

Looked at as a move to ease rush hour traffic by offering those who travel in private cars a viable alternative it could instead end up adding buses into the melee. Palak Malik, who commutes from Pitampura to Jamia Nagar and changes three modes of transport — a rickshaw, Metro and autorickshaw, says, "It could possibly ease out the rush inside buses and in the Metro, but the traffic congestion might only increase with the multitude of buses."

She too believes that instead of cars it could lead to buses choking Delhi streets during rush hour.

Although this had been first propagated in January this year, the ambitious plan was on the backburner due to paucity of buses, and as this announcement coincides with the upcoming summer vacation of schools some wonder whether that is the reason why buses that otherwise ferry schoolchildren will be put to use.

Atul Sikka, a travel agent, raises doubts, saying, "DTC could finally be in a stage to put the schoolbuses to use in chartered services, no harm in that. But does it mean that come July when schools reopen the chartered services will again dwindle off?" Senior officials in the DTC confirm that the registration process for a fresh contingent of low-floor buses is on and these shall be commissioned as soon as impossible.  

Original news source http://www.asianage.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10337:dtc-chartered-buses-to-ease-traffic-woes&catid=60:delhi-age&Itemid=88