Cluster bus again delayed

Saturday, Feb 19, 2011




Delayed by months, the launch of the much-hyped first bus cluster may get delayed even further. This time, the delay, say officials, is because of internal issues with the cluster owners. "The two set of owners have gone to court over internal issues while we are hoping this will not delay matters too long, the cluster won't be launched before mid-March," said a senior transport department official.

The latest delay comes after a long list of delays - in acquiring buses, conductors and even parking space. The first cluster was scheduled to be launched in December, which was then rescheduled to January and thereafter February. These orange and purple buses - denoting AC and non-AC low floor travel, were supposed to start with 50 buses on 32 routes in south Delhi. Ultimately, the cluster will have 230 buses.

The first cluster was awarded to a concessionaire consisting of six-seven former Blueline operators and an investor. The legal entity, which was divided into 51% stake for the Blueline operators and 49% for the investor, is known as Star Bus Service Pvt Ltd. Sources in the department said issues over stakes had prompted the stakeholders to approach the court. When contacted, Shiv Kumar, one of the Blueline operators, admitted that the matter had gone to court, but he refused to comment as it was subjudice.

Incidentally, the conductors are yet to be hired for the cluster. The transport department had outsourced the hiring of conductors or support and fare collection staff to Delhi Integrated Multi-modal Transit System (DIMTS), which is finally hiring the staff now. These conductors will thereafter have to undergo training before they are put on the job, added transport department officials.

"The cluster should be launched by mid-March definitely," added the official optimistically. The cluster buses are set to be parked in the DTC Millennium Depot, which is also not ready. DIMTS officials claim that both the support staff as well as the parking bay in the Millennium Depot will be ready "in time". The buses, said Kumar, have been acquired and are awaiting deployment.

The delay in the launch of the cluster service comes in the wake of the transport department scrambling to get the corporatization scheme off the ground. Delhi's transport minister, Arvinder Singh, has been consistently claiming that the cluster would be launched "soon", even as more than 800 Blueline buses went off the roads in January.

As per the agreement between the transport department and the Star Bus Service, which owns the first bus cluster, the company will provide the buses and the drivers whereas the government will deploy its own conductors, hired by DIMTS. The first cluster which starts with 50 low-floor buses will run on 32 routes in south Delhi, including Ambedkar Nagar, Jal Vihar, Mehrauli, GK II, Okhla Enclave, Mori Gate, Arya Samaj road, Anand Parbat, Vasant Vihar, Vasant Kunj and several other areas.

Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Cluster-bus-again-delayed/articleshow/7523742.cms