Delhi government to increase bus frequency by merging parallel routes, address last-mile connectivity issues

The Delhi government is aiming to increase the bus frequency in the city by merging parallel routes and boost public transport and address last-mile connectivity issues.

The Transport Department has put forth a proposal in a meeting of the State Transport Authority, a department official said.

The proposal involves merging 73 routes to come out with a better frequency of mini-stage carriage buses, he said.

The Transport Department will also take the help of the School of Planning and Architecture for the route rationalisation exercise, the official said.

There are 73 routes for mini-stage carriage buses totalling 798. These buses provide last-mile connectivity by carrying passengers from residential areas to the Metro stations, he said.

"Route rationalisation will involve shifting buses on routes having fewer buses and poor frequency. On an average, routes are 17-km long and 14 buses are required for the frequency of 10-15 minutes," the official said.

Merging of routes will eliminate duplicity of services by the Delhi Transport Corporation and Gramin Seva Services. 

Route rationalisation exercise was last undertaken in 2009, he added.