Now on Delhi's roads, buses that will drop and pick you up right near your home
Aarti (18) has been taking the new green buses on the Anand Vihar ISBT to Mayur Vihar Phase 1 route to work every day since they started operations on May 2. At 10 am, she boards the bus from the street outside her house in East Delhi's Khichripur and rides it to Jai Laxmi Apartments in IP Estate, where she works as a domestic help.
'I work there for two hours and then come back home to have lunch and rest. Then I go back again for three hours and return on the bus at 6 pm,' she says.
'Pehle rickshaw mein upar neeche karne mein 40 rupay lag jaate the, isliye kabhi din mein ghar jaati bhi nahi thi (Earlier, I used to take an e-rickshaw which cost me Rs 40 if I took it four times. That's why, sometimes, I didn't come back home to rest). Now, it is convenient for me as I pay nothing — bus rides are free for women — and get to sit in the AC.'
'Now, I tell everyone I know about the new buses,' she adds.
Aarti is excited about the newest solution to a problem that has long plagued the national capital: the lack of affordable and reliable first and last-mile connectivity options.
The Delhi government's answer to it was the mohalla bus scheme, now rechristened as the DEVI (Delhi Electric Vehicle Interconnector) scheme by the new BJP government.
Under this, 9-metre buses (as opposed to standard 12-metre buses) would ply on routes that can't be accessed by bigger buses at a high frequency.
Two weeks after 400 DEVI buses hit Delhi's streets at an inauguration event attended by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, The Indian Express hitched a ride on these buses and spoke to passengers.
Most were enthusiastic about the service; some voiced concerns, including a lack of awareness about such buses and uncertainty about timings, that hinder regular use.
On the ground
At 9 am on a Wednesday last month, on the Seelampur Metro station to Johri Enclave route (D-025), the bus driver is patient as the vehicle makes its way through narrow lanes and crowded streets, fighting its way at corners and intersections and honking at briskly moving e-rickshaws and wrongly parked cars.
At Mustafabad Gali No. 8, Aadil Malik, 17, hops onto the bus along with his friend and colleague Rahul Rajput.
'We generally take an e-rickshaw to our warehouse in Brijpuri,' says Aadil. The fare is the same for both modes of transport. But we don't know when the bus will come… today, the bus came at the appropriate time for us, so we took it,' he adds.
'We will be happy to take it daily if it comes at the same time… why won't we, it is air conditioned,' says Rajput, who works with Malik at a steel repair company.
These buses mostly ply on high-congestion roads, which leads to them frequently getting caught in traffic jams. 'We are not able to arrive at the same time every day at different stops because of traffic,' says bus conductor Sameer Khan.
Asked about this, Delhi Transport Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh says, 'To serve Delhi's public, we have to ply the buses on these routes. We will think of rerouting, but when a significant number [of buses] are plying on Delhi's roads. Where there's less need, we will decrease the numbers, where there's a requirement for more, we will increase the buses.'
It is 9.30 am, and the bus is mostly empty throughout the route, with only occasional passengers. At most stops, like Ghonda Chowk or Yamuna Vihar Depot, no one boarded the bus.
'When people head to work in the morning, buses from residential areas to metro stations and hubs like Seelampur are full. In the evening, when people are returning, it is the opposite,' says Khan.
Right then, Afreen Ansari, 23, who is taking the bus from Seelampur Metro station to Karawal Nagar along with two kids and sister-in-law, asks: 'Why are you taking such a long route?'
'This is the route of the bus, that's why. This is not a rickshaw that can go in any lane!' answers Khan.
Afreen and her family are heading home from their aunt's place. While taking a rickshaw would have cost them Rs 35, the bus ride is free for them.
Many people are still unaware of the routes, and at several stops, buses are often flagged down by commuters asking about their destinations.
But from conversations with commuters, it becomes clear that the DEVI buses are mainly competing with e-rickshaws, which are even quicker and more reliable, for passengers.
'Earlier, I used to take three buses and two e-rickshaws to reach Jal Vihar from Khadar. Now, with DEVI, I only need to change two buses and one e-rickshaw,' said Manju, 40, who is on the bus going from Nehru Place Terminal to Madanpur Khadar JJ Colony, which is chock-full at 7 pm on a Tuesday last week.
Other passengers say drivers of Eeco cars, RTV buses, and e-rickshaws have changed after this bus was introduced. 'Gramin seva tempos have brought down their rates in some areas,' a passenger chimes in.
Devansh Mittal is a trainee correspondent with The Indian Express. He studied political science at Ashoka University. He can be reached at devansh.mittal@expressindia.com. ... Read More
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