200 DTC buses to have e-ticketing machines by January-end

New Delhi, Jan 3: Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses will soon go hi-tech with the public transporter deciding to install electronic ticketing machines in 200 of its fleet by the end of this month.

In the first phase of the project, 200 buses of Rajghat and Rohini bus depots will be equipped with ETMs by the end of January.

Thereafter, the facility will be introduced in the rest of the DTC fleet by June. At present, there are 4,500 buses plying in the national capital and of which, 3,775 are low-floor buses, including about 1,275 air-conditioned ones.

"DTC will install ETMs in 100 buses of Rohini depot and Rajghat depot each in the first phase. In some buses, conductors have started charging fares from passengers through ETMs on trial basis," DTC spokesperson R S Minhas said.

He further said that by the end of June, all DTC buses will have e-ticketing machines. Thereafter, all these buses having ETMs will move towards common mobility card through which one can travel in DTC buses and Delhi Metro.

"Once ETMs are installed in all DTC buses, we will move towards common mobility cards for traveling in both DTC and Metro, which will be done on priority basis," Minhas said.

Transport Minister Gopal Rai had recently said that the government would soon launch common mobility card for DTC and Metro.

Common mobility card had been proposed in 2010 during the Commonwealth Games but due to financial reasons, the project did not take off.

According to DTC, talks on this project are going on and it wants this project to be implemented as soon as possible for giving better facilities to its passengers.

PTI