The Hindu : New Delhi News : They’re back on the roads

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Saturday, Jul 14, 2007
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New Delhi

They’re back on the roads

Staff Reporter

Supplemented by 2,800 DTC, 185 U.P. Roadways buses

Photo: S. Subramanium

Old familiar sight: The Capital’s commuters had an easy day on Friday as the Blueline buses and a number of DTC and UP Roadways buses plied on the roads.

NEW DELHI: Almost all the Blueline buses returned to the Capital’s roads on Friday, easing things for the hapless commuters who had taken to thronging the Metro railway and haggling with auto-rickshaws drivers in the absence of a reliable public transport system.

Apart from some vehicles that were impounded, nearly 3,500 Blueline buses resumed service and were supplemented by 2,800 Delhi Transport Corporation buses and 185 buses of U.P Roadways.

“I waited for an hour in vain for a bus on Thursday and ended up paying through my nose for an auto-rickshaw. Today I got a Blueline in just 15 minutes which is how long I have to wait in normal circumstances,” said Manik Chhabra who takes a bus everyday from Noida to Connaught Place.

“I got a DTC bus today within five minutes of reaching the Connaught Place bus stop,” said a beaming Madhu Srivastava, adding: “On Tuesday I had to wait for an hour, and even when the bus arrived it was jam-packed. There wasn’t enough room to even stand on the footboard. Auto-rickshaws drivers were refusing to travel to the trans-Yamuna area and were quoting exorbitant fares.”

A sense of security

The increased number of buses plying on the Capital’s roads on Friday restored a sense of security for daily users of public transport. The Metro railway, which bore the brunt of commuters after the Bluelines decided to go off the road fearing challans and permit cancellations, saw a steady decline of travellers as more and more buses resumed service.

Tara Kant Jha, owner of four Blueline buses, said two of his buses had resumed service, one was undergoing repairs, while another remained impounded. “It is better for us (Blueline bus owners) to spend money now and get our paperwork into shape rather than go off the road for an extended period and incur losses,” he said.

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