Soon, get routes, frequency, timing of buses on app

In a bid to encourage Delhiites to switch to public transport, commuters in the city will soon get exact schedule, location and seat availability in DTC and cluster buses and details required to hire autorickshaws through a mobile app.

The app is part of a series of initiatives by the AAP government to streamline the public transport sector, which includes integrating bus, Metro and autorickshaw services. The app is currently in the testing phase and will be launched soon.

Around 40 lakh commuters travel by around 6,000 buses operated by Delhi Transport Corporation and deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said the AAP government is planning a series of steps to improve the bus service. “For making the city congestion and pollution-free, we need a better public transport system. Keeping this in mind, we have developed a mobile application through which commuters can get details of location, seat availability and schedule of DTC and cluster buses plying in Delhi,” the deputy chief minister said.

He said the AAP government has decided to buy 10,000 buses and some of them will be procured through public-private-partnership scheme. To ensure hassle-free commuting, Mr Sisodia said the AAP government is also planning to introduce a common card which can be used in Metro, buses, autorickshaws. Giving details of the app, he said commuters waiting at bus shelters can check frequency, route details, arrival time of buses on their phone through the app.

Mr Sisodia said the government is testing the app and will launch it soon. It will also enable users to fetch location and mobile numbers of nearest autorickshaws drivers. At present, 4,700 DTC buses and 1,300 buses under cluster services are operating in the city. The total number of autos is more than 84,000. “Commuters using autos will also be able to use the government’s application on the lines of private taxi aggregators and can fetch location and mobile details of drivers,” he said.