Phase-out of blueline buses before Commonwealth Games won't be possible

Now it is certain that Delhi Government will not be able to keep its promise of phasing out 'killer' blueline buses ahead of the Commonwealth Games.

The government had set many a deadline in the last few years to phase out the privately-owned blueline buses and replace them with swanky low-floor buses ahead of the mega sporting event.

"It will not be possible to phase out the blueline buses completely before the Games," said a senior Transport Department official.

The official said the phase-out could not be completed as manufacturers of low-floor buses -- Tata Motors and Ashok Leyland -- expressed their inability to supply the number of vehicles required to replace the entire blueline feet.

The government had placed an order of 3,125 low-floor buses to these two auto giants and out of the total order, 2,214 vehicles, including 1,250 air-conditioned buses, have already been supplied.

Failing to phase out the blueline buses, government has decided not to allow plying of such vehicles around the venues of the event from September 15.

Delhi transport minister Arvinder Singh Lovely said routes of 1,300 buses will be diverted and only low-floor buses of DTC will be allowed to move around the Games venues from September 15 to October 30.

Currently, 2,324 blueline buses, known for their notoriety on the roads, are operating on over 600 routes in the national capital.

The Delhi government had drawn up an ambitious plan in 2008 to modernise the transport infrastructure in the city ahead of the Commonwealth Games, to be held here from October 3 to 14.

The plan was finalised following a direction from the Delhi high court to address the transport problem in Delhi in view of the Commonwealth Games.

The government had decided to phase out the blueline buses following widespread resentment among people due to their reckless driving resulting in a spate of accidents.

According to government statistics, 182 people had lost their lives in accidents involving blueline buses in 2005 while the number of people killed by these buses in 2006 was 163. One hundred and eight people lost their lives in 2008 while in 2009, 115 people were killed in accidents involving blueline buses.

In yet another initiative to modernise the public transport system, the Delhi government had last year given its approval for the first ambitious cluster bus fleet project under which a private operator would be alloted certain routes for running buses.

The contract for the first cluster project was awarded to Star Bus Services Pvt Ltd which had promised to start its services in certain areas of South Delhi ahead of the event. But the service is yet to begin.