Green Wheels in Every Galli: Delhi’s 250 DEVI Buses Drive Urban Innovation

 

In a significant initiative for green mobility and last-mile connectivity, the Delhi government will on Tuesday, April 22, introduce 250 mini-electric 'Mohalla Buses' under the Delhi Electric Vehicle Interchange (DEVI) scheme. The new fleet will be flagged off at an event at Kushak Nala Depot, Sewa Nagar, adjacent to Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and Transport Minister Dr. Pankaj Singh.

 

Each 9-metre long new DEVI bus is fully air-conditioned, intended for the narrow, congested streets of Delhi, and provides an important option when commuting in densely populated neighbourhoods. Over 150 of these buses will be mini-buses. Each bus is planed for 23 seated passengers (with 6 reserved for women) and 13 standing passengers, with sufficient battery capacity to provide typically for up to 200 km on a 45 minute charge. 

 

To start, the DEVI buses will run from the Ghazipur, Nangloi and East Vinod Nagar depots and will run feeder routes to main lines of the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) bus network and metro stations. Each route will be planned for a maximum length of 12 km in order to improve last-mile connectivity option for residents and to reduce dependency on private vehicles. 

 

Fares will be low-cost for the new service, thus tickets will be offered at ₹10, ₹15, ₹20 and ₹25. Women will still travel using the free pink tickets offered under the government program for free travel.

 

The launch of the new buses coincides with World Earth Day, and demonstrates the government's continued focus on sustainable urban mobility. The DEVI buses are all part of a broader initiative to introduce more than 2,000 electric buses to Delhi's public transport network before the end of 2025 and the ultimate goal of 80% being electric buses, but also to improve the air pollution levels across the city.

 

According to Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, the new buses will not only help with Delhi's public transportation, but continue to advance progress towards the Delhi environmental commitments as well. Transport Minister Dr. Pankaj Singh reiterated that the government would continue with more electric buses, as older buses are decommissioned, to continue being a leader in sustainable urban transport in Delhi city.

 

Source: The Hans Indi