Delhi Going Hi-Tech, Wi-Fi in DTC buses

NEW DELHI: Soon, when you catch the airport-bound special bus service of Delhi Transport Corporation, you can dispose of your unanswered mail or do background work on that pending report while on board. The transport department is working on a plan to give internet facilities on these elite buses by making them wi-fi enabled. 


"The total number of targeted routes for these buses is eighteen. We will start off with a pilot project on one of them the route has not been decided yet and then gradually provide this on all the buses. The service is doing exceedingly well and this, we thought would be an added incentive for many people because this is just the kind of service that would interest the client base of the bus," explained transport minister Arvinder Singh. 


Talks are on with companies for fitting routers on these buses to make them wi-fi enabled. There will be one laptop on each bus but commuters with wi-fi-enabled mobile devices can work on their own machines too. There will be a fee for using the computer which will be over and above the usual bus fare of Rs 75/person for the domestic airport and Rs 100 for the international airport. 


The plan, Singh says, is part of the overall policy of the state government to encourage use of public transport and decongest the roads. "It is true that for various reasons, public transport had never really been a planning priority for Delhi. That has changed now and people have responded very well showing that if given appropriate options, Delhiites are willing to leave personal vehicles behind," he explained. Officials say the company has not been ascertained yet but the one working in the introduction of GPS in buses could be roped in. 


DTC officials say that the airport express service in the one month that it has started, the average daily occupancy is about 50%, going up to 70% on some weekends. The average daily earning, said an official, is in the range of Rs 3 lakh, conceding, however, that this is way below DTC's spending on the 60-odd buses that run on these routes. "We will take time to break even if at all. But the point of public transport is rarely to break even. World over public transport is subsidised because the cumulative advantages of a good public transport system for the economy far outweight the spending," said a senior transport department official.

Read more: Wi-Fi in DTC buses bound for IGI Airport - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Wi-Fi-in-DTC-buses-bound-for-IGI-Airport/articleshow/7074276.cms#ixzz17gSB16y3