With the more new low-floor buses being added to DTC's existing fleet, the corporation is now planning to cater to all types of commuters. The need was felt to target office-goers, who are presently using their private vehicles to reach office. By making this category shift to buses, the government felt traffic on the roads can get reduced considerably. ``The new service will run like chartered buses, which pick up people from one colony or catchment area and drop them straight at their area of work. The buses will not stop anywhere on the way as this category of commuters would want to reach in the shortest possible time,'' said a senior official.

The final scheme for the fleet was discussed at a meeting called by transport minister Arvinder Singh Lovely on Wednesday. DTC is planning to start the service on 50 routes, using all air-conditioned buses. The areas which the service will cover will include colonies like Vasant Kunj, Dwarka, Rohini, Pitampura, R K Puram, Shiekh Sarai, and areas where government servants reside. ``DTC is in the process of finalizing routes for the new service, where AC buses will run like chartered buses at 20 minutes frequency during the morning and evening rush hours. The service will start within one month. The buses will run on the special trips in the morning and evening and for the rest of the day, they will be deployed on normal city routes,'' the official added.

To ensure the service is comfortable, only a fixed number of people will be taken in one bus and everyone will get a seat. Also, unlike the rest of the DTC fleet which doesn't adhere to timetables, these buses will be fitted with GPS to ensure they run on time. In addition, sops like a free copy of the day's newspaper to read on the way and tea/coffee will also be made available on board. The buses will have provision for automated ticketing too and the buses will be monitored to ensure reliability.

The fares for the service are yet to be finalized, but officials said these will be nominal as the government wants to promote the use of public transport, especially buses. After checking the response of commuters, more buses and routes will be added in due time.

" Action is taken against drivers and conductors against whom we get complaints from commuters," DTC managing director Naresh Kumar said.

The Delhi High Court had on Friday directed the DTC to ensure the safety of female passengers on DTC and other buses.

The court was hearing the DTC's appeal challenging a labour court order that cancelled the dismissal of a conductor and driver. The labour court had reinstated them with only the stoppage of two increments.

Justice Kailash Gambhir, while upholding the DTC's order dismissing a conductor in a case of eve- teasing in a bus in 1993, came down heavily on conductors and drivers who indulged in such activities.

" It is common knowledge that most women rely on public transport, especially buses, for day- today travel. It is often seen that ( women) feel threatened not only from anti- social elements travelling on a bus but equally from persons manning it," the court observed. " Drivers and conductors who are supposed to act as saviours of the passengers are often found themselves indulging in acts of indecency if they get an opportunity of finding lone female passengers." Referring to the case in question, the court said it exemplified the irresponsible and pathetic behaviour of the employees of the public transport department.

Source: Mail Today DTC Claims Staff Told To Act Against Eve- Teasers

Commuters who take Delhi Metro feeder buses every day were left stranded at Metro stations on Friday evening after the service was suddenly withdrawn from all parts of the city.

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) terminated the contract of the bus operator on Friday for deficiencies in service. The corporation set a week's deadline to find a new operator to resume the feeder bus service.

According to DMRC, the operator had not met the quality standards set by the corporation. The buses were dirty, they did not follow schedules or set routes and even the number of buses operational were less than the mandated 90% set by DMRC in the contract, said corporation officials.

``There were regular complaints about how the buses did not run on time and were in extremely bad condition. The contractor had also stopped making payments. After repeated warnings, the service was still not up to the mark. DMRC has temporarily suspended all the feeder buses following termination of the contract with the operator. Alternative arrangements are being made and the DMRC expects services will resume after a week,'' said a DMRC spokesperson.

However, the abrupt withdrawal of buses hit commuters hard. As they stepped out of different Metro stations and found no buses, a majority of them were left with no option but to take either autorickshaws which overcharged or cycle rickshaws that took way too long to reach their destinations. Priyanka Sharma, a student, said: ``I will either have to pay a lot extra for an auto ride or wait for hours at the bus stop to get a bus back home. Feeder buses were convenient from Shastri Park.''

Source: Times Of India Metro feeder buses disappear

The updates, to be provided free of cost through Google Transit, an application tool, would provide information not only about bus routes, transit stops and fares but also detail of DTC bus schedules on a real-time basis.

Additionally, for a particular location, information will be made available about surrounding tourist destinations, eateries, historical monuments.

With the other access to Delhi from Faridabad areas, Mathura Road, already choked due to construction of a Metro line and flyover and generally given a wide berth there were massive daylong jams on all the roads. Several office-goers were forced to head back home.

Worse, this is going to be the situation for the next 10 days. ``The Surajkund Road, from Mehrauli-Badarpur Road upto Surajkund (5km), will remain closed from 7am to 6 pm till February 28 in view of security arrangements for the shooting championship. Since security is our paramount concern, commuters are going to face some inconvenience as traffic volumes are very high,'' said Satyendra Garg, Joint Commissioner of Police (traffic). This has left people wondering what's in store during the Commonwealth Games.

When residents of Charmwood Village, Eros Garden, Dayal Bagh and even from other Faridabad sectors went out in the morning, they were diverted to Prahladpur Road. The result was a gridlock with commuters taking three to four hours just to get to MB Road.

Several people returned home. ``I left for work at 8.30 but got caught in one of the worst jams I've ever seen,'' said Nanda Paithankar, a resident of Charmwood Village, who works for WHO. ``I decided to head back home. It took over two hours just to go around the boundary wall and enter the colony from the next gate.''

Source: Times Of India By Megha Suri SinghHyper security: Faridabad areas cut off from Delhi

With the High Court lifting the cap on the total number of cycle rickshaws allowed in the city, Initiative for Transportation and Development Programmes (ITDP) a petitioner in the case is now planning to move the court to seek transfer of control of rickshaws to the transport department from MCD. They feel the need of the hour is a policy on rickshaw operation and design to ensure that this mode of transport is available in all colonies in the city as against the present system where rickshaws are banned in certain areas.

Residents says rickshaws are green, fast and affordable mode of local transport. For them, cycle rickshaws form an effective feeder system to other modes of travel like Delhi Metro, buses and even autos. ``I find rickshaws to be the most convenient mode to get to the nearest Metro station as they are cheap, fast and hassle-free,'' said Harsha Singhal, a resident of Janakpuri. For others, rickshaws are convenient for a brief shopping trip to the local market or till the nearest auto stand. ``I prefer taking a rickshaw than driving to the market as finding parking space is next to impossible,'' added senior citizen RK Sharma, a resident of Karol Bagh.

But in several areas there are no rickshaws. Residents feel the government has been unable to provide any other mode of local transport. ``The only option we have is to walk or use our cars. Rickshaws should be allowed inside all colonies,'' said Suprita Singh, a resident of GK.

Bylaws for rickshaws for Delhi was first formulated in 1960, under which permits for rickshaws were granted by veterinary officers. Rickshaws found plying without permits are crushed or auctioned -- something that is not done to any other mode of transport. ``The policy, so far, has been to discourage rickshaws rather than integrating them with the existing transport system. We need to look at reforms now in the form of better designed rickshaws, training for pullers and special tracks on arterial roads,'' said Nalin Sinha of ITDP.

Source: Times Of India By Megha Suri Singh & Ruhi Bhasin Rickshaws should get free access

A full HC bench created a 'special task force' whose job will be to "explore all questions pertaining to road traffic in Delhi" with focus on reducing congestion and pollution levels. Led by Delhi's chief secretary, the charter of the task force includes review of traffic flow, registration of vehicles, and restrictions on vehicular movement.

"Delhi will not be unique if such measures (restrictions on movement of private cars) are actively implemented. In London a stiff 'congestion fee' is levied on private vehicles in some parts of the city," the bench said.

Crucially, HC has decided to closely monitor progress made by the task force and fixed every second Wednesday of the month to get an update.

The task force, to convene eight weeks from now, will consist of a traffic expert, a DCP nominee of the Delhi Police commissioner, a town planning expert nominated by DDA, two nominees from the private sector or drawn from autonomous institutions, an expert in pollution control and one from the field of environment and urban development. The principal secretary, Delhi transport department, has been made the member secretary of the team.

Source: Times Of India Delhi HC moots congestion fee on cars

The Bench headed by Chief Justice A P Shah and comprising Justices S Ravindra Bhat and S Muralidhar also took exception to the by-law authorising the police, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and other agencies to impound rickshaws. It directed the agencies to do away with any authorisation that was against the law.

But the court refrained from quashing zonal restrictions or the ban on use of rickshaws on arterial roads. The Bench held that the civic bodies have the right to take such decisions in greater public interest.

Expressing concern over the manner in which civic authorities and the police treat cycle-rickshaw pullers, the court said, "It would be important for public authorities, particularly law enforcement agencies, to display sensitivity when exercising coercive powers."

The Bench also differed from an earlier High Court verdict which held that plying rickshaws hurt or offended human dignity, and that the state should eventually eliminate the trade.
The Bench said, "The right of an individual to ply cycle-rickshaw or other forms of transport falls within the legitimate exercise of his freedom guaranteed under Article 19(1) (g)."

The court found no objective criteria that the MCD relied on to fix the limit of rickshaw licences at 99,000. It noted that no such policy was framed to limit the number of motorised vehicles.

Source: The Indian Express By Utkarsh Anand No curb on number of rickshaws: HC

Some months from now, you will be able to travel on a variety of modes of public transport -- buses, local trains, the Metro -- in select cities, using just one smart card.

The common mobility card, called the `One India Card', that the Urban Development Ministry is currently working on, will first be introduced in Delhi on a pilot basis before the Commonwealth Games in October.

It will then be extended to Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chandigarh. With a single card -- and without buying any ticket -- a commuter will be able to access trains and buses in these cities once transport operators modernise their fleet to make them compatible for use with smart cards. "It will be a multipurpose card, valid for all operators -government as well as private -- and on all modes of local travel. It can be extended to taxis at a later stage. In time, it will be possible to buy intercity travel tickets and utility items as well using the card," said M. Ramachandran, urban development secretary.

The funding will be shared by the Centre under its flagship Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission and by respective transport operators in the cities concerned.

These links will provide fast and reliable connectivity to those districts in UP, Haryana and Rajasthan that have been identified as the major contributors to Delhi's increasing migrant population. A recent study by NCR Planning Board (NCRPB) shows Bulandshahr, Alwar, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Sonipat, Gurgaon, Faridabad and Rohtak as some of the key districts from where the capital gets maximum number of migrants.

The NCRPB has proposed to take up Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut, Delhi-Gurgaon-Rewari-Alwar and Delhi-Sonipat-Panipat as the priority corridors.

``The proposals have been approved by all the stakeholders of NCR Delhi and three adjoining states. These will be put before the Central Cabinet for speedy implementation,'' said a senior official of urban development ministry.

Sources said though a majority of the dedicated RRTS corridors will come up along the existing railway network across NCR, their alignment could be shifted in some cases so that these become more accessible to commuters.

The present rail network is already overburdened and there is hardly any scope for augmentation of the suburban rail services on the existing tracks. Hence the proposal to have dedicated tracks for RRTS.

Source: Times Of India by Dipak Kumar Dash Fast trains to city's suburbs

GROSS VIOLATION: SC has fixed a cap of 55,000 autos but many UP autos sneak in to cash in on high demand

An auto in Dwarka was caught plying with a fake Delhi number painted on it, even as the auto had been registered in Uttar Pradesh on a different number. A criminal case of forgery has been registered, Another 50 autos which were impounded have seen no claimants so far, as there seemingly is some illegality in their paper work. The cops are probing each case now.

In over 1,100 cases, auto drivers were caught without the mandatory PSV badge and driving license

The special drive initiated by Delhi Traffic Police in the last week, in which a whopping 10,000 autos have been prosecuted for a range of violations in just five days, has exposed the Capital's worst kept secret -- that a majority of the autos are plying illegally. The core of the issue is the 55,000 cap on the total number of permits for autos. In the absence of any other equally effective mode of public transport, the gap between demand and supply is huge. And this has become the major cause of the present auto menace.

A large number of Threewheeled Scooter Rickshaws (TSRs) caught by the cops for offences like overcharging, refusal and other road violations were without valid permits, driving licenses and PSV badges from the State transport department. In one of the cases, auto driver Rakesh Verma was caught driving an auto with a UP registration number (UP 14Y 9513) which had a fake Delhi number painted on it. ``Verma said that he wanted to operate the auto in Delhi, as it is more lucrative. So to avoid detection, he painted a fake number on it. A case under sections 417, 468, 471 and 482 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered in the matter with the Dwarka police station and is under investigation,'' said Satyendra Garg, Joint Commissioner of Police (traffic).

Source: Times Of India Traffic cops put brakes on DELHI AUTO-CRACY

"Soniaji along with union Minister of Railways Mamta Banerjee would arrive at the railway station around 12 noon for flagging off 12 new trains and extensions of seven trains," Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Akhilesh Paratap Singh told reporters here.

Besides the Kanpur-Delhi Shatabdi Express, the new trains include Gandhi and Banerjee would flag off are: Lucknow-New Delhi Duranto Express, Allahabad-New Delhi Duranto Express, Agra-Lucknow Intercity, Mathura-Kasganj Passenger train, Bhopal-Pratapgarh Express, Gorakhpur-Lokmanya Tilak Express, Varanasi-Jammu Tawi Superfast Express, Lucknow-Yashwantpur Express, Gorakhpur-Nautnava Express, Gorakhpur-Nautnava Passenger and Chapra-Mathura Express.

According to officials, some of the important extensions of trains are: Mumbai-Kanpur Udyog Nagri Express (till Pratapgarh), Howrah-Agra Chambal Express (till Mathura), Varanasi-Lucknow Express (till Kanpur), Gorakhpur-Bhiwani Gorakhdham Express (till Hisar).

"After flagging off the trains, Soniaji will return to Delhi on the same day," said Singh.

ग्रेटर नोएडा में इस समय सिटी बसों के तौर पर यूपी रोडवेज की 8 मिनी बसें चल रही हैं। इससे पहले यहां रोडवेज की बड़ी बसें चल रही थीं। मिनी बसें चलने के बाद बड़ी बसों को हटा लिया गया। ग्रेटर नोएडा डिपो के एआरएम कपिल शर्मा ने बताया कि शहर से आनंद विहार डायरेक्ट जाने के लिए यूपी रोडवेज की 6 बसें चलाई गई हैं। इस रूट पर अच्छा रिस्पॉन्स मिल रहा है। बसों का संचालन ग्रेटर नोएडा डिपो से ही हो रहा है। करीब एक घंटे के अंतराल पर यहां से आनंद विहार के लिए बसें चलाई जा रही हैं। ये बसें ग्रेटर नोएडा से नोएडा के रास्ते झुंडपुरा होते हुए सीधे आनंद विहार बस अड्डे पहुंच रही हैं। जरूरत पड़ने पर बसों की संख्या और भी बढ़ा दी जाएगी।

इसके अलावा शाहदरा के लिए ग्रेटर नोएडा से डायरेक्ट बस चलाने की भी योजना है। इसके लिए सवेर् किया जा रहा है। परमिट, ड्राइवर और कंडक्टर आदि की व्यवस्था होते ही शाहदरा के लिए भी बसें चला दी जाएंगी। इस पर काम किया जा रहा है।

उन्होंने बताया कि ग्रेटर नोएडा में भी सिटी बसों का अच्छा रिस्पॉन्स मिल रहा है। यात्रियों के सुझाव के आधार पर इसमें और भी सुविधाएं दी जाएंगी। इसमें रूट और टाइमिंग भी शामिल हैं। नॉलेज पार्क और बिल्डर्स एरिया पर भी फोकस किया जाएगा।