NEW DELHI
The Delhi government, led by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), may soon launch the Mohalla bus service to provide last-mile connectivity to commuters. According to an officer of the Transport ministry, “The government expects to launch the Mohalla bus service in the next two months.
The government will deploy small, nine-metre-long mini-electric buses to boost last-mile connectivity in areas where the width of the road is less or in places that are too crowded for regular 12-metre buses to ply.” However, the BJP has criticised and slammed AAP and said they are just making bogus announcements to keep Delhiites in deception.
The Mohalla bus service was announced in the 2023-24 budget of the Delhi government. The aim behind this is to provide last-mile connectivity to the people of Delhi. An officer aware of the matter said, “The scheme will introduce 2000 small AC buses in phases, with 200 buses rolled out in its first phase. The government aims to provide last-mile connectivity in areas where regular buses cannot ply, and the routes will be determined based on factors such as existing public transport services and passenger accessibility.”
The officer said that the buses should be operated in a circular motion so that commuters can reach nearby metro stations, markets, hospitals, etc. without any difficulties. Officials said that the government had finalised the design and colour of these buses. “The buses will be blue and green in colour, with engraved ‘Mohalla Bus’ in both Hindi and English languages.”The Delhi Transport Minister, Kailash Gahlot said that to ease the travel of Delhiites, the government has taken this step. Gahlot said, “An agreement has been signed with PMI Electro and JBM. There would be 1,040 buses under DTC and an equal number in the cluster scheme. We would be in a position to launch the scheme in two months. The first phase will likely see 200 buses.”