New Delhi: A year after Delhi government launched the bus cluster scheme, Delhi transport minister Arvinder Singh feels the dynamics of the city’s public transport system has undergone a change. “When the government had said in its affidavit that 11,000 buses are needed, the Delhi Metro still had a small network. But with the expansion of the Metro network and several other transport alternatives like radio taxis, Delhi doesn’t need so many buses,” Singh told The Times of India.

New Delhi: In May 2011, the Delhi government launched the vaunted bus cluster scheme which promised to give the city a clean and modern alternative to the “killer” Bluelines. A year later, the scheme seems headed for a spectacular failure. Of the 6,600 buses promised by 2013, only 247 have hit the road till now. With the deadline approaching, the city’s transport department has been flip-flopping on the launch of new clusters of the distinctive orange buses. This year, it has launched just

If Maharashtra boasts the country’s largest public transport fleet, it has also earned the dubious distinction of being the top killer on roads last year, causing 3,407 mishaps. What’s worst, Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) also recorded the highest increase - of 203 - in road accidents during 2010-11, while Tamil Nadu saw the largest decline — of 172 mishaps — during the same period, according to a review of the performance of State road transport undertakings (SRTUs) by the Union Road & Transport Ministry.

New Delhi: Bus commuters have a reason to cheer. The transport department has finally been allotted land for a depot in Rohini, a move that has paved the way for more cluster buses to be launched. Till now, the Delhi government had been blaming the lack of depot space for its failure to start more clusters even as Delhiites struggled to meet their transport need with only DTC buses.

Pune commuters pay the highest fare for public transport and travel in the oldest buses. A study carried out by Parisar, a city-based NGO, reveals that Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) buses suffer breakdowns more frequently and are infrequent than the public transports running in cities like Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Delhi.

New Delhi: The Delhi government is looking into using the Delhi Metro smart-card as a common transport card for metro, DTC and cluster buses. In a meeting held last week, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) was asked to look into the feasibility of merging the Delhi Metro smart-card with the cluster and DTC bus system, so that a single card can be used on all modes of public transport. Incidentally, the same suggestion had been mooted during the Commonwealth Games but couldn’t take off due to differences over revenue sharing between the DMRC and the Delhi government.

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought responses from various civic bodies, including the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), on a Public Interest Litigation that sought directives for improvement of sanitation and cleanliness in the Capital.

A bench of acting Chief Justice A K Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw sought responses from various civic authorities, and asked them to file responses by January 25, 2012, the next date of hearing.

The Delhi high court on Wednesday issued notices to various civic agencies, including MCD and NDMC, on a PIL seeking directions to them for maintaining cleanliness and improving sanitation in the capital.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw sought responses from civic authorities including MCD, NDMC, Delhi Jal Board and asked them to file responses by January 25, 2012, the next date of hearing. B.B. Sharan, a retired army officer who filed the PIL on behalf of the NGO, said its members have noticed that “almost all covered drains were full of garbage which led to water logging during monsoon season.

Electronic Ticketing Machines (ETMs) will be installed in DTC buses only by March 2012, even though the Delhi government had floated the proposal a year ago. The Transport department has floated tenders for this project for the second time now, and according to Transport Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely, ETMs will be fitted in all the 6,000 DTC buses by March next year. “We have already floated tenders for this project. A presentation on ETMs and their advantages will be made in the Delhi Cabinet soon. We will then shortlist the company, which will implement the project for us.

The Delhi government on Tuesday has won the “Best PPP Initiative in Urban Transport” award for introducing cluster buses in the city at the Urban Mobility Conference 2011 organised by the Institute of Urban Transport (India).