Revised fare structure makes bus travel between Delhi and Noida more expensive than a Metro ride
Revised fare structure makes bus travel between Delhi and Noida more expensive than a Metro ride
Thirty-year-old bank executive Saurabh Khandelwal preferred a bus to the Metro for travelling between Delhi and Noida. But on Thursday, when he calculated the impact of the revised bus fares on his wallet, he realised the Metro ride could be cheaper.
After the Delhi government's decision to phase out private Blueline buses on the Delhi-Noida route from Thursday, the bus journey between the two towns has become costlier. The private buses have been replaced with DTC ones, which charge according to interstate rates. Khandelwal now has to buy two tickets - one for his journey in Delhi and another for Uttar Pradesh.
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175 additional buses to be introduced by DTC between Delhi and Noida to handle crisis |
Cheap track
According to the new bus fare structure, those taking a bus to Noida from Connaught Place (CP) will have to pay Rs 24 for the tripu00a0-u00a0Rs 15 as per Delhi fare for travelling more than 10 km, plus Re 1 surcharge and an additional Rs 9 as fare within Noida, as per the Uttar Pradesh bus tariff.
The journey takes 50 minutes. By contrast, if one takes the Metro to the station at Sector 18, Noida, from Rajeev Chowk (CP), the fare is Rs 16 and the journey takes 34 minutes.
Double do
According to the new fares, for the number of kilometres a commuter travels in a DTC bus in Noida, one has to pay the fare according to the Uttar Pradesh fare structure and for the number of kilometres travelled in Delhi, they will have to pay according to the DTC fare structure. "In the war between the governments of the two states, the common man is suffering. The new fare rules have only added to our woes," said Khandelwal.
Hope at handHoping for a solution, Delhi Transport Commissioner and Chairman (DTC) RK Verma said, "I will write a letter to the transport commissioner of the Uttar Pradesh government. Next week, a meeting will also be held in this regard. The agenda will be fixation of fares for buses traveling on the Delhi-Noida routes. Delhi is ready to compromise. Till now, the fare structure was the same as it would be in one city. But now the buses are plying as per interstate rules," Verma said.
Trouble on road
Meanwhile, acting tough on the private Blueline buses still running on the route, the transport authority began impounding the vehicles. "We have impounded three buses and will prosecute them accordingly. If the operators refuse to abide by the order, their permits could also be cancelled," said Verma.
The operators, however, claimed they would not withdraw their buses, as the government had not issued any notification in this regard. "We are operating with valid permits. We can not be forced to withdraw our buses without prior notice. We have not got any notice," said Shayam Lal Gola, spokesperson of the Association of Blueline Operators.
New Fare
| Delhi (in km) |
Uttar Pradesh (in km) |
Fare (Rs) |
| 4 |
3 |
9 |
| 4-10 |
3-5 |
16 |
| Above 10 |
5-10 |
25 |
| Above 10 |
10-15 |
27 |
| Above 10 |
15-20 |
30 |
| Above 10 |
Above 20 |
35 |
