The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government on Monday notified its policy for app-based Premium Bus Service, which aims at gradually weaning the average car user away from private vehicles and onto public transportation.
Transport Minister Gopal Rai had, on April 22, announced that the government intended to play the “role of an enabler” for private players willing to provide air conditioned, wi-fi enabled buses with CCTVs — through a mobile app — to citizens in a “concerted effort” to improve public transport.
Registration to begin June 1
Registration of service providers under the scheme by the Transport Department will begin on June 1. The Hindu was the first to report on the government’s efforts in this direction in a report on March 11.
According to the notification, air pollution levels in the city have “reached levels that pose a serious threat to the health and well-being” of Delhiites. It asserted that vehicular emissions “contribute significantly to the prevailing air pollution in Delhi”, and that the move is an effort to “reduce the use of private motor cars in Delhi in the larger public interest”.
Govt. admits shortcomings
The notification also included an admission that “the prevailing quality and reliability” of bus services, which predominantly consist of its own fleet being operated by the Delhi Transport Corporation, “discourages private motor car owners from commuting by buses”.
Policy in detail
As per the policy, bus aggregators will have individual apps — like Ola, Uber — and will be allowed to decide their fares, determine the routes and schedule of trips, which will be uploaded on their app; operators will have to freeze bookings and display a list of passengers five minutes before departure on each trip.
Only AC buses will ply under the scheme and a bus aggregator will have to run at lease 50 vehicles to get a licence from the Transport department. Despite the liberty allowed in relation to fares, the department will retain the authority to prescribe upper limit or take steps to check predatory pricing.
After accepting a booking, operators cannot cancel the service except if the bus breaks-down or force majeure. If the service is cancelled, the company will have to refund passengers double the booking amount.
App-based vehicle aggregation service Ola said it welcomed the efforts of the Delhi government for app-based Premium Bus Services.
“We look forward to working with the government in extending a world-class daily commute solution from Ola Shuttle, to citizens across the State...We are confident that this will go a long way in solving for key issues like congestion, pollution and parking that we are faced with today,” the company said in a statement.
