New Delhi [India], December 18 : Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday flagged off new electric buses and an interstate bus service from ISBT (Inter-State Bus Terminal) in the national capital. The new interstate bus service, Delhi-Dharuhera, aims to enhance connectivity between the two cities.
During the event, the Delhi CM described the service as critical to inter-state connectivity. She said that electric buses are the most effective way to eradicate pollution.
"Today, we are starting Delhi Interstate Bus, which is Delhi-Dharuhera... this in itself is a very important step for interstate connectivity... And with this, 100 new EV buses will be added to the roads from today... The most effective solution to eradicate pollution is that the public transport system should be improved, so that most people leave their private vehicles and join our public transport system," CM Rekha Gupta said.
Furthermore, the Delhi CM stated that the Delhi government has been working to increase the number of electric buses in the city, with the current fleet of 3400 EV buses expected to increase further by next year. Gupta announced that the government plans to make the entire bus fleet fully EV.
She also informed that the university bus service, which was shut down during the previous government, has been restarted.
"Given the government's ongoing efforts to improve Delhi's transport system, I would like to point out a few points. First, the number of EV buses currently stands at 3400, which will increase by next year, and efforts will be made so that our entire bus fleet is fully EV... Apart from this, the university buses, which had been shut down for many years during the previous government's rule, have been restarted. Charging stations are being installed for our EVS. The electric fleet we are deploying now needs bus depots equipped with charging facilities. Therefore, we are renovating all bus depots and installing charging stations there." CM Gupta said.
The CM also highlighted other initiatives, including the construction of new automatic testing centres and a new pink card system for women, which will allow them to travel for free.
She claimed that vehicles were roaming across Delhi "without pollution certificates". CM Rekha informed that updated automatic testing centres are being built in Nand Nagri, Tehkhand, and Burari.
"Due to a shortage of centres in Delhi, pollution certificates were in short supply. As a result, vehicles were roaming the roads without a pollution certificate... Now, an updated automatic testing centre will be built in Nand Nagri, Tehkhand, and Burari... Delhi's sisters, who are currently exempt from paying for bus travel, will soon benefit from a new pink card system. This system will eliminate the need to purchase tickets repeatedly. They will only need to swipe their card once to travel multiple times in a day..," CM Rekha added.
Gupta also mentioned the government's efforts to improve the metro system, saying, "The fourth phase of the metro system is being fully supported by the Delhi government, which is providing all its financial support to the metro system... a large budget has been set for the metro system... All of our ISBTs, we are continuously trying to take their renovation work forward... We are developing Sarai Kaale Khan, Anand Vihar, using the latest technology to significantly expand its current capacity."
The event was attended by Transport Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh, who flagged off the new buses along with the CM.