The Delhi government on Tuesday backtracked on December 14 deadline for complete phaseout of Blueline buses and in place set a new deadline of January 31 next year. However, about 823 Blueline buses will stop plying on city roads from Wednesday, making the phase out of the killer private buses a gradual affair.
Transport minister Arvin-der Singh Lovely, while addressing a press conference on Tuesday, stated that all Blueline buses would now be phased out from city roads from January 31. He, however, reiterated that there would be no further extension of deadline for the phaseout of the buses.
“In total 823 buses will go off the roads from Wednesday out of the fleet of 2,052 Blueline buses currently plying on over 600 routes. Their permits expired on Tuesday and as a policy matter Delhi transport authority is not renewing their permits,” stated Mr Lovely.
The minister told reporters that another batch of 389 Blueline buses would be removed by December 31, with their permits too coming to an end by that time. “January 31 will be the last day for Blueline buses. We are not going to extend the deadline,” asserted the minister, who had stated in October that the Blueline buses would not ply in Delhi after December 14. Mr Lovely said all the remaining 840 Blueline buses would be phased out by January 31.
The minister added that the Delhi Transport Corporation now has 6,500 buses, including nearly 4,000 low-floor buses.