DMRC to run feeder e-buses on pilot basis from Aug 12; vehicles won't have conductors

In a first for the DMRC, feeder electric buses will start playing on a trial basis in the city from August 12 to boost connectivity with the Delhi Metro network, officials said on Tuesday.

In a statement, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said it will introduce 100 feeder e-buses by the end of October in a phased manner to provide an enhanced last-mile commuting experience from 14 metro stations covering 10 routes to the public.

"Feeder electric buses are being introduced for the first time in Delhi on a trial basis by the Delhi Metro from this Thursday, under which 25 low-floor e-buses (24-seater buses) will be plying on two routes," the DMRC said in a statement.

Only Delhi Metro passengers having a Delhi Metro smart card or metro DTC smart card will be allowed to avail services of these e-buses, officials said.

Commuters can use smart cards to pay for cashless travel since these buses will operate in a fully contactless way and will not have a conductor. Entry and exit would be through turnstiles on the bus using the metro smart card, officials said.

Metro smart cards are already being used in DTC buses.

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For buses starting from metro stations, entry of the passengers will be permitted only from the stations and the bus will halt only at the designated stops, officials said.

No entry of passengers will be permitted at other stoppages on the route.

For buses going to metro stations, entry will be allowed at all stoppages, but passengers will be allowed to deboard only at metro stations.

This is to ensure that only genuine metro passengers use this service. Passengers will be allowed to enter from the front gate and exit from the rear gate of the bus, the statement said.

One route (MC-721) will be from Shastri Park Metro station to Gokulpuri Metro station via Khajuri Chowk, spanning 10.3 km. The other (ML-05) spanning 7.7 km will be from Shastri park metro station to Mother Dairy, the DMRC said.

The fare structure will be Rs 10 for zero to four km, Rs 15 for four to eight km; Rs 20 for eight to 12 km and Rs 25 for journeys beyond 12 km.

These e-buses are specially designed and equipped with an intelligent transport system with CCTVs and GPS facilities. These also have anti-skid, anti-brake locking systems and will not move till all doors are closed. The doors will also not close on detection of any obstruction officials said.

For the differently-abled and elderly passengers, these buses are fitted with ramps and anchorage for a wheelchair. For any emergency, these buses are also equipped with a panic button and a stop request button, the DMRC said.

For the maintenance and stabling of these buses, dedicated depots have been also set up at Shastri Park and Majlis Park, along with an operational control centre to monitor the vehicles, officials said.

There are 2.5 MW electric connection facilities to charge the e-buses. For regular cleaning, automatic wash plants have also been provided at both the e-bus depots, it said.