Delhi's AAP government plans to launch Mohalla bus service for last-mile connectivity on city roads, with 25% seats reserved for women.
“Mohalla buses are meant for last-mile connectivity and will ply on shorter routes not covered by the current Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) or Cluster service that comprises large 12-metre buses. These will act as neighbourhood or feeder bus networks... We have divided the depots and routes into four zones where these buses will ply. We are now finalising the routes and will hopefully be able to start the service by the month’s end,” Gahlot said.
“The buses have been coloured green for easy identification. Additionally, 25% of the seats (six seats) are pink, reserved for women. Women can also avail free rides on these buses through pink passes,” he added.
The Mohalla buses will have 23 passenger seats. Transport department officials said these have a 196kW battery, providing a range of 120-130km, allowing it to easily complete 10-15 round trips on a single charge.
A total of 2,080 such buses are being procured by the Delhi government from two manufacturers at present, officials said.
Officials said the transport department has identified 16 depots in four zones — north, south, east and west — where the buses will be deployed. They said the service will likely be launched with 50 nine-metre electric buses from the Ghazipur and East Vinod Nagar bus depots, and the number of buses will be gradually scaled up.
Officials added that the areas close to these depots will benefit most from the buses, expected to make multiple trips in loops through the day.
“Kushak Nallah in the south zone is the largest depot, which is spread across 10.5 acres. This will be able to accommodate 350 buses. The south zone will have one more depot at Ambedkar Nagar, that will have 180 buses,” an official said, asking not to be named.
The department expects to operate 2,180 such buses by 2025. The buses and the electrification process were inspected at the Dwarka depot by the transport minister on Tuesday.
By the end of 2025, Delhi aims to have a total of 10,480 buses, out of which 80% will be electric. Additionally, efforts are underway to electrify over 60 depots, with 16 depots already fully operational.
In Delhi, over 4,000,000 bus trips are completed by commuters daily, using 7,582 DTC and cluster buses.
Experts said that the Mohalla bus service could be a potential game-changer in the public transport system, contributing to the overall development.
“By leveraging the flexibility of buses and tailoring services to meet the needs of local communities, this initiative has the potential to revolutionise public transportation in Delhi and beyond,” said Amit Bhatt, managing director (India), International Council of Clean Transport (ICCT) that jointly organised an international consultation last year and also presented two pilot route plans from Delhi Secretariat for the Mohalla bus service.