Delhi: Premium buses run by private players to ply in national capital from August

Starting in August, Delhi residents can reserve seats on air-conditioned buses operated by private companies, as the city government is set to launch this new initiative, according to officials.

The premium bus service is part of the Delhi Motor Vehicles Licensing of Aggregator (Premium Buses) Scheme, which was announced last year.

The scheme aims to reduce the use of private vehicles within the city and lower pollution levels.

Under this scheme, two companies, Uber and Aaveg, have been licensed to run the buses in Delhi-NCR. They are currently finalizing the routes for these services, a transport department official said.

“Both companies are onboard, and discussions about the final details are nearly complete. We aim to launch the buses by the end of this month or early August,” the official added.

A “premium bus” is defined as a fully air-conditioned luxury bus with at least nine seats, all of which are pre-reserved reclining seats. The buses must also have Wifi, GPS, and CCTV.

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The scheme requires that any CNG bus must be less than three years old, and all buses joining after January 1, 2025, must be electric. Applicants must also have a corporate or branch office in the National Capital Region.

An anonymous official from Aaveg said the company has finalized some routes in west and central Delhi. Their fleet will include both electric and CNG buses.

“By the end of December, we plan to switch to an all-electric fleet. We aim to launch the buses by the end of this month or early August. We have tested all routes. The buses will have 41 seats, and bookings can be made through the Aaveg app,” he said.

In May, Uber announced that customers will be able to pre-book seats on their preferred routes via the ‘Uber Shuttle’ option in the Uber app. Each shuttle will accommodate between 19 to 50 passengers, operated by local fleet partners using Uber’s technology.

Transport department sources said the two companies must submit their routes, driver details, and bus details. License holders can set dynamic fares, which must be no lower than the peak fare of Delhi Transport Corporation‘s AC buses. (With inputs from PTI)