The Times of India 23.09.2009
Brace for hike in fares of DTC, Blueline & Metro feeder buses
NEW DELHI: In the next one month, commuters are likely to pay higher fares for Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC), Blueline and Metro feeder buses. Sources say the proposed increase is going to be "considerable'' as commuters in all other metropolitan cities except Kolkata pay much more for public transport. The proposal has already been sent to the cabinet by the state transport department and is likely to come up for scrutiny in a month.
The proposal will affect fares of DTC, Blueline and Delhi Metro buses which are all likely to get revised soon. Even concessional passes of DTC, which are causing huge losses to the public exchequer, will come under scanner and the rates for these are also expected to be hiked this time. The fundamental being followed is that the longer the journey, the lesser the per kilometre cost of travel.
Even though the new fares will be decided by the Centre, the proposal has reportedly sought a "high figure'', which could even be 50-100% more than the existing fares. Delhi Metro feeder bus commuters could expect to pay Rs 2 more than the current fare. The new fares will be fixed by the cabinet as the the government has not appointed a fare fixation committee.
The proposal has been drafted after looking into several aspects of running the modes of transport like rise in fuel prices, general levels of inflation in the city and comparative fares in other metros in India. Sources said the proposal has given various options of fares, all of which are much higher than what Delhiites are paying. "It would not be proper to quantify at this stage since the final decision will be taken by the cabinet. But if the proposal is approved, people will have to pay much more. The elections are over now, so one can expect the rise,'' said sources.
Bus fares in Delhi were last revised in 2002 when the government increased them for the lowermost slab (0-4 kms) from Rs 2 to Rs 3. The rest of the slabs have remained constant since then, even as cost of manpower, which contributes to nearly 70-80% of the total costs of operation, has risen steeply. Moreover, Delhi government doesn't have a system to increase fares in accordance with inflation. In all, the cost of operation has increased by more than 100% over the years. And with the new DTC buses coming in, the capital costs to run the fleet have also risen, further mounting losses for DTC.
The proposal will affect fares of DTC, Blueline and Delhi Metro buses which are all likely to get revised soon. Even concessional passes of DTC, which are causing huge losses to the public exchequer, will come under scanner and the rates for these are also expected to be hiked this time. The fundamental being followed is that the longer the journey, the lesser the per kilometre cost of travel.
Even though the new fares will be decided by the Centre, the proposal has reportedly sought a "high figure'', which could even be 50-100% more than the existing fares. Delhi Metro feeder bus commuters could expect to pay Rs 2 more than the current fare. The new fares will be fixed by the cabinet as the the government has not appointed a fare fixation committee.
The proposal has been drafted after looking into several aspects of running the modes of transport like rise in fuel prices, general levels of inflation in the city and comparative fares in other metros in India. Sources said the proposal has given various options of fares, all of which are much higher than what Delhiites are paying. "It would not be proper to quantify at this stage since the final decision will be taken by the cabinet. But if the proposal is approved, people will have to pay much more. The elections are over now, so one can expect the rise,'' said sources.
Bus fares in Delhi were last revised in 2002 when the government increased them for the lowermost slab (0-4 kms) from Rs 2 to Rs 3. The rest of the slabs have remained constant since then, even as cost of manpower, which contributes to nearly 70-80% of the total costs of operation, has risen steeply. Moreover, Delhi government doesn't have a system to increase fares in accordance with inflation. In all, the cost of operation has increased by more than 100% over the years. And with the new DTC buses coming in, the capital costs to run the fleet have also risen, further mounting losses for DTC.
