Mohalla bus service to be rolled out within a month

New Delhi: The Delhi government’s ambitious Mohalla bus service is expected to be rolled out within a month with Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot forming a committee to inspect the approved prototype of the bus.

The Mohalla Bus Scheme aims to deploy nine-metre-long electric buses to provide neighbourhood or feeder bus services. The Kejriwal government plans to introduce 2,180 such buses by 2025, catering specifically to areas which have limited road width or which witness overcrowding. The prototype of the bus has already been approved, officials said.

“The inspection of the bus is already going on at Manesar in accordance with the Central Motor Vehicles Rules (CMVR). The minister has also formed a committee to inspect the bus in terms of the specifications required by the department.

“This will take a fortnight. We hope to complete this process by July 7. Following these clearances, the buses will be put on the roads for trial for a week,” said an official privy to the development. The committee formed by the minister comprises officials from DIMTS, DTC and the transport department. After the trial is completed, orders will be placed with the concerned company.

“It depends on the production of these buses by the company. As soon as we receive the first lot, we plan to roll out the scheme,” he added. According to officials, the buses will have a blue and green colour combination with ‘Mohalla Bus’ written on them. In March, Gahlot had inspected a prototype of a nine-metre Mohalla bus at the Rajghat bus depot and travelled on it to attend the assembly budget session.

He had said these Mohalla buses have seats for 23 passengers and are designed for shorter routes within Delhi, serving as a vital mode of first and last-mile connectivity for commuters.

According to the officials, 25 per cent of the seats in the buses will be pink, reserved exclusively for women who will also get free rides through ‘Pink passes’. These buses will help boost first and last-mile connectivity for the people, particularly in areas where the standard 12-metre buses face operational challenges due to their size and turning radius. By the end of 2025, Delhi aims to have a total of 10,480 buses, out of which 80 per cent will be electric.