Delhi Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu and Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and today flagged off 200 new zero-emission electric buses from the Delhi University Sports Complex, taking the city’s electric bus fleet beyond the 5000 mark. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Sandhu said that these initiatives are environment-friendly and, most importantly, citizen-centric.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said, the expansion of electric buses is aimed at making public transport cleaner, safer and more convenient. She said, more than 5000 electric buses are now operating in Delhi, while the total bus fleet has reached around 6800.
The low-floor, air-conditioned buses are part of the government’s plan to convert the entire DTC fleet to electric and expand the overall bus fleet to around 14000 by 2028-29. During this, a new Delhi-Karnal interstate e-bus service was also launched. Five air-conditioned electric buses will make 10 trips daily in each direction.
The fare from Kashmere Gate to Karnal has been fixed at around 212 rupees, with the route covering Singhu Border, Murthal, Panipat and other major locations. To improve safe and dignified travel for women, 56 dedicated Ladies Special e-bus services have been introduced, including 30 trips on 15 high-demand routes and 26 University Ladies Special trips on 13 routes.
Women police personnel, Home Guards and female staff will be deployed on these buses. Panic buttons will also be integrated with the Delhi Police 112 emergency response system.
