In a boost to last-mile connectivity and sustainable transport, the Delhi government is poised to roll out 76 electric buses from the Ghazipur depot starting Tuesday, transport department officials said. As part of the Delhi Electric Vehicle Interchanges (DEVI) project, the first group of these 76 buses would run out of the Ghazipur depot, authorities said.
With each vehicle planned to travel around 12 kilometres, the electric bus service aims to improve feeder connectivity to metro stations and important Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) bus routes.
Six buses will travel the Seemapuri-Old Delhi Railway Station route, while eight buses will travel between Anand Vihar ISBT Terminal and Keshav Nagar Mukti Ashram. The Mori Gate Terminal and the Mayur Vihar Phase III Paper Market will be connected by ten buses.
Six buses will run the Anand Vihar ISBT-Humdard Nagar and Sangam Vihar route, and eight buses will run between the Anand Vihar ISBT Terminal and Swaroop Nagar. On the Anand Vihar ISBT-Kapashera Border route, fourteen buses will be used.
In the upcoming days, DEVI bus operations are also anticipated to start at the Nangloi and East Vinod Nagar depots.
“The administration is going to give Delhi a unique present tomorrow. The ‘DEVI’ brand of electric buses is being introduced. Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav will also attend the event.
According to authorities, the initiative, which was formerly known as the Mohalla Bus Service under the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, has been renamed by the recently elected BJP administration with operational and infrastructure improvements meant to improve urban mobility and the passenger experience.
The service, which had been postponed for several months, aims to increase accessibility to public transport around the city.
After analysing the first response, officials stated that the majority of routes have already been decided and that more ones would be added based on demand.
According to a transport department source who asked to remain anonymous, “the idea is to cover shorter routes that connect interior streets with arterial roads, so these buses can operate in areas where larger buses cannot.”
