New Delhi: The Delhi government will allow free travel for commuters in all DTC and cluster buses during the odd-even scheme to encourage use of public transport, Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said on Friday.

The odd-even car-rationing scheme will be rolled out in Delhi for five days from November 13 as part of a graded response plan to tackle the alarming level of pollution in the city.

“To encourage use of public transport during odd-even, Delhi govt. to allow free travel for commuters in all DTC and Cluster buses from 13-17 November,” Mr Gahlot tweeted.  Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said the move will encourage people to switch to public transport.

The Delhi government’s decision to allow free rides on DTC buses during the five days of the odd-even scheme in the city could lead to losses of about Rs 9.5 crore, the officials said.

According to latest data from June this year, the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC), which has a fleet of nearly 4,000 buses, carries around 28 lakh passengers daily and earns Rs 1.88 crore per day. Five days of free rides would amount to DTC losing about Rs 9.5 crore.

According to CAG reports, the national capital’s public transporter has been steadily making losses with no addition of new buses. The total loss for DTC in 2014-2015 was Rs 2,917.75