Latest news with #DelhiElectricVehicleInterconnector
Hindustan Times
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
2 injured as Delhi govt's new DEVI bus rams bicycle in Loni
Two people got injured on Friday morning after a Delhi government bus rammed their bicycle in Loni area, police said, adding that it was the government's recently launched Devi (Delhi Electric Vehicle Interconnector) bus. 'The electric bus involved in the accident was speeding and driven rashly. It later hit two people travelling on a bicycle. One of the injured, Kailash Singh, 52, lost a leg while Ghanshyam did not sustain serious injuries. They both were rushed to a hospital in Delhi, and are under treatment,' Ajay Kumar Singh, ACP of Ankur Vihar Circle, said. 'Once the families file a complaint, we will register an FIR. The electric bus from Delhi was seized soon after the incident,' the ACP added. Harendra Malik, SHO of Loni Border police station said the driver has been identified. They will detain him once a complaint is filed. The incident triggered a political spat between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with the former blaming the BJP government for the incident, claiming the buses are being handed over to the drivers without any training. 'A tragic accident happened at Loni border – who is responsible? Delhi government's Devi electric bus crushed several people. This accident is not just an accident, it is the result of the gross negligence of the BJP government running in Delhi. The bus is handed over to the driver without training. Drivers are being recruited through private companies with no standards of experience and safety. Why is an important public service like DTC being given on contract? Why are drivers not being properly trained? Why is every week some innocent person losing his life on the road? This is not just an accident, this is a picture of the failure of Rekha Gupta's government,' AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha said in a post on X. Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor hit out at the AAP, saying that the 'so-called untrained drivers have been working since the time of the AAP government.' When asked about the incident, a transport department official said necessary actions will be taken as per relevant laws after a complaint is filed.
India Gazette
07-06-2025
- Business
- India Gazette
Delhi government to set up unified metropolitan transport authority; cabinet proposal likely by end of this month
By Tanya Chugh New Delhi [India], June 7 (ANI): The Delhi government is planning to set up UMTA (Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority) to improve public transport in the state. The aim is to have better coordination among public transport agencies. It further aims to improve public transport coordination and project implementation, to streamline the public transport system by facilitating better communication and cooperation between different transport agencies. The Transport Department may present a Cabinet proposal regarding this plan by the end of this month, said top sources. The Transport Department is currently working on the entire plan. In addition, consultations are being held with the Pollution Control Board, Traffic Police, the Finance Department, and the Urban Development Department. The UMTA would act as a coordinating body which would manage and improve the public transport in the state. If the plan gets approval, it would facilitate communication and collaboration between various transport agencies to ensure a more integrated and efficient system. To enhance the public transport infrastructure, Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) had previously issued a new SOP. Under this, the faulty buses will be removed within 15 minutes. Cranes and Quick Response Teams (QRTs) at 30 key locations across Delhi have been deployed by DTC that monitor function to remove the faulty buses. Also, DTC has started with a new project where it aims to generate Rs 2600 crores after its depots become commercial hubs. The decision came in a bid to rescue the continuously loss-making Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC). Approvals have been granted for the redevelopment of Banda Bahadur Marg and Sukhdev Vihar depots, a top source to ANI. New electric buses DEVi, Delhi Electric Vehicle Interconnector, have also been launched by the government. A fleet of 200 new buses was flagged off by PM Narendra Modi in the national capital on 5th June on the occasion of World Environment Day. (ANI)
Time of India
06-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
For clean & green Delhi, 200 e-buses flagged off
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday flagged off 200 electric buses , which will be deployed as part of the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and Cluster Scheme bus services under the Delhi govt. Modi said, "This initiative will contribute to building a clean and green Delhi . It will also improve the 'ease of living' for the people of Delhi." In a post on X, PM said: "Flagged off electric buses under an initiative of the Delhi govt aimed at boosting sustainable development and clean urban mobility. This will also improve 'ease of living' for the people of Delhi." Describing the buses as a "a tremendous asset for Delhi", chief minister Rekha Gupta said, "These are highly comfortable buses equipped with cameras and panic buttons for passenger safety. They have a low floor and are air-conditioned." She further stated, "By 2027, the entire fleet of buses provided by the Delhi govt will be electric. We are also working on a new EV policy." Last month, Gupta had flagged off 400 electric buses under the Delhi Electric Vehicle Interconnector (DEVI) scheme and announced that an additional 2,080 electric buses would be introduced by the end of this year. The Delhi govt plans to deploy 900 electric buses in the coming months as around 5,000 of the city's 7,500 buses are due to be retired this year. Currently, Delhi operates about 7,500 buses, including both DTC and cluster services. The govt aims to expand the fleet rapidly as many buses are aging and approaching retirement. Transport minister Pankaj Singh stated that orders for thousands of new buses have been placed to maintain adequate public transport services. Singh also mentioned that approximately 4,000 buses will be phased out this year, to be replaced gradually by electric buses. In 2018, the Delhi govt informed the Supreme Court that the city requires 11,000 buses to meet its transportation needs. The upcoming purchases include both 12-metre and smaller nine-metre buses. To reduce traffic congestion and improve passenger convenience, DTC is also implementing route rationalisation to increase bus availability in high-density areas. According to data, DTC recorded an average daily ridership of 25.99 lakh in 2023-24, while cluster buses saw a lower daily ridership of 16.44 lakh. Under the Delhi Electric Vehicle Interconnector (DEVI) scheme, BJP govt has introduced small nine-metre buses, designed to serve areas inaccessible to larger 12-metre buses.
Time of India
05-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
For Clean & Green Delhi, 200 E-Buses Flagged Off
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday flagged off 200 electric buses, which will be deployed as part of the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and Cluster Scheme bus services under the Delhi govt. Modi said, "This initiative will contribute to building a clean and green Delhi. It will also improve the 'ease of living' for the people of Delhi." In a post on X, PM said: "Flagged off electric buses under an initiative of the Delhi govt aimed at boosting sustainable development and clean urban mobility. This will also improve 'ease of living' for the people of Delhi." Describing the buses as a "a tremendous asset for Delhi", chief minister Rekha Gupta said, "These are highly comfortable buses equipped with cameras and panic buttons for passenger safety. They have a low floor and are air-conditioned." She further stated, "By 2027, the entire fleet of buses provided by the Delhi govt will be electric. We are also working on a new EV policy." Last month, Gupta had flagged off 400 electric buses under the Delhi Electric Vehicle Interconnector (DEVI) scheme and announced that an additional 2,080 electric buses would be introduced by the end of this year. The Delhi govt plans to deploy 900 electric buses in the coming months as around 5,000 of the city's 7,500 buses are due to be retired this year. Currently, Delhi operates about 7,500 buses, including both DTC and cluster services. The govt aims to expand the fleet rapidly as many buses are aging and approaching retirement. Transport minister Pankaj Singh stated that orders for thousands of new buses have been placed to maintain adequate public transport services. Singh also mentioned that approximately 4,000 buses will be phased out this year, to be replaced gradually by electric buses. In 2018, the Delhi govt informed the Supreme Court that the city requires 11,000 buses to meet its transportation needs. The upcoming purchases include both 12-metre and smaller nine-metre buses. To reduce traffic congestion and improve passenger convenience, DTC is also implementing route rationalisation to increase bus availability in high-density areas. According to data, DTC recorded an average daily ridership of 25.99 lakh in 2023-24, while cluster buses saw a lower daily ridership of 16.44 lakh. Under the Delhi Electric Vehicle Interconnector (DEVI) scheme, BJP govt has introduced small nine-metre buses, designed to serve areas inaccessible to larger 12-metre buses.
Indian Express
02-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
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 ... Read More
