Delhi govt to soon notify new rates, norms for buses at ISBTs

New Delhi: The Delhi government will soon notify new rates and norms for buses at interstate terminals, Raj Niwas officials said on Sunday.

Lt Governor VK Saxena inspected the Maharana Pratap ISBT at Kashmere Gate on August 31 and subsequently held a high-level meeting that was attended by Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot.

The transport department is set to notify the new rates and norms for to-and-fro interstate buses utilising the iconic terminals.

Delhi has three operational interstate bus terminals (ISBTs) at Kashmere Gate, Anand Vihar and Sarai Kale Khan.

"Emphasising that efficiency and equality are two most important factors to achieve optimum utilisation of facilities, the lieutenant governor suggested equal parking rates for government and private buses and also reducing parking time equally to achieve a higher turnaround," a Raj Niwas official said.

Saxena also directed that only buses with Fastag be allowed to enter the terminals to ensure tracking.

Once notified, the new norms will not only ensure efficiency in the functioning and operation of ISBTs but also enable the facilities to function to their optimum capacity of 3,000 per day against 1,700 now, he added.

The under-utilisation is because of rate differences between government and private buses, poor management of parking bays, staff using terminals as resting places, and systemic issues such as staggered circulation due to extended turnaround times leading to traffic snarls outside, the official said.

According to the new plan, private and government interstate buses will pay the same parking fee and using the bus bays at ISBTs, he said.

As of now, private buses are charged higher. This leads to a situation where they are parked on roads outside ISBT complexes, resulting in huge traffic snarls, apart from causing passenger/revenue loss for state-run buses, he added.

A system of differential parking or utilisation charges based on time is also set to be notified to reduce turnaround times.

Lower turnaround times will not only reduce the waiting period for passengers but also ensure that buses circulate at a faster pace, speed up traffic-pedestrian and vehicle movement outside ISBTs, and generate more revenue for the transport department, the official said.

Buses will be provided with a parking time slot of 25 minutes at a fixed rate. After that, charges will be applied for every five-minute extra. Enforcement and implementation will be ensured through Fastags, he said.

Buses without Fastags will not be permitted inside the terminals. A facility will be provided outside the ISBT complex where a bus without Fastag can buy one before entering, he added.