New Delhi:
In what could be a reprieve to Blueline bus operators, the Delhi government is considering allowing their fleet to operate as feeder bus service for the Metro network.
The government has already set January 31 as the "final deadline" to completely phase out the "killer" Bluelines which gained notoriety for involvement in frequent road accidents in the city.
"We are considering a proposal to allow the Blueline buses to ply as metro feeder service. We have to take opinion of the Delhi Metro before finalising it," said a top official of Transport Department.
Last month the government had shunted 823 Blueline buses, out of a total of 2,052, as part of efforts to streamline the public transport system in the city.
Currently, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) runs 120 feeder buses on 12 routes ferrying more than 35,000 people everyday from their homes to stations and back.
But the DMRC has not been able to run it effectively due to lack of financial viability and contractors to run the service.
There have also been complaints against feeder buses of over speeding and conductors being rude to passengers.
The official said if Blueline buses are put on feeder bus service, then the DMRC will be able to offer the service in almost all its stations. The transport department will make sure that properly trained personnel are employed.
"It will be of great help to the metro commuters," said the official.
The Delhi Government has been trying to modernise the entire public transport system in the city and has already procured 4,000 low floor swanky buses, a mix of both air conditioned and non-air conditioned vehicles.
The government had last year announced an ambitious cluster bus service scheme under which corporate entities were proposed to be given certain routes in the city on the pattern of cities like Paris and London.
The first cluster bus service will begin its operation this week with 50 buses.
Delhi government in 2009 had divided nearly 650 bus routes across the city into 17 clusters, each comprising profitable and non-profitable routes and decided to give each cluster to a private operator.