New Delhi : Aggregators of AC luxury buses will be given licenses to operate buses in Delhi, said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday. "To encourage people to use public transport, aggregators of AC luxury buses will be given licenses to operate buses in the city. No standing passengers will be allowed on these buses. Bus seats can be reserved only using app & digital payments," CM Kejriwal said in a press conference. He said that the Delhi government aims to lower traffic on roads and air pollution with this step.
"License holders will need to maintain a fleet of 25 buses. After 1.5 years, only electric buses can be introduced in the fleet. Routes are to be determined by the bus operator. Bus charges should be higher than the peak fare of DTC( Delhi Transport Corporation) buses. I am sending the scheme proposal to the LG(Lieutenant Governor) for approval," said Arvind Kejriwal.
The draft of the Delhi Motor Vehicles Licensing of Aggregator (Premium Buses) Scheme, 2023 was uploaded by the government on its website in August and it had sought public feedback.
It is hoped that the scheme will encourage the middle and upper-middle classes to switch to public transport. It is mandated in the scheme that an aggregator shall take measures to ensure the safety and security of women passengers and provide a rapid response mechanism, including a panic button on its mobile and web-based applications that should be functional at all times and have modalities of API-based integration with law enforcement agencies for prompt redressal of complaints.
In 2020, an ambitious target was set by the Delhi government to register five lakh new EVs within five years and achieve 25 per cent of all newly sold vehicles being electric by 2025.