Saturday, Apr 27, 2024 | Last Update : 04:32 AM IST
Delhi: Experts call for more school buses
The Delhi government runs more than 1,000 schools in the city.
New Delhi: From buying new buses for schools to sorting out the problem of last-mile connectivity, experts suggest a host of measures to improve the efficacy of public transportation as Delhiites may have to brace for the next round of Odd-Even scheme if the air pollution breaches the “emergency” levels.
“There are studies by IIT, Delhi and IIT, Kanpur, which indicate that the Odd-Even scheme was of little use. But even if we can achieve 1 percent success in cutting down vehicular emission, it is worth it,” Indian Foundation of Transport Research Training’s senior fellow SP Singh said.
He said it’s about time that public schools in Delhi purchase their own buses. Many government schools hire Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses to ferry their children. The Delhi government runs more than 1,000 schools in the city.
In fact, during the first round of Odd-Even scheme in January last year, buses hired from private schools were added to the DTC’s fleet to ease the inconvenience caused to commuters. However, the schools buses were not used during the second round of Odd-Even scheme in April.
“In a city, which sees a jump in road rage incidents, it is important that law of the land prevails,” Mr. Singh said, adding, “There is a need for stricter implementation of the Odd-Even scheme, banning vehicles on alternate days.”
He argued that the government should be able to rein in on autorickshaws and taxi-hailing services such as Ola and Uber. The government should also ensure that autorickshaws do not fleece passengers. KK Kapila, chairman, International Road Federation, said the government should conduct a city-wide study to ascertain the demand for last-mile connectivity. And to make the public transport more inviting in short-run, he said, more Metro feeder buses and coaches in Delhi Metro for senior citizens are needed.
“Slashing bus fares wouldn’t be a practical solution as it would put a huge subsidy on the government,” Mr. Kapila added. It may be recalled that the Delhi cabinet had earlier passed a proposal to slash bus fares. But L-G Anil Baijal asked AAP to re-examine the proposal.
