Delhi govt allows intra-state movement of buses with full seating capacity from November 1

Amid surge in COVID-19 cases, the Delhi government has allowed intra-state movement of buses with full seating capacity on a trial basis from November 1. State Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot on Saturday said passengers can travel on all seats of public transport buses and cautioned that travellers will have to compulsorily wear face masks and maintain social distancing. The minister also added that no passengers will be allowed to travel in a standing position.

Earlier in May, the Delhi government had fixed the number of maximum passenger in Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and Cluster scheme buses to 20. Lt Governor Anil Baijal, who is the chairman of Delhi Disaster Management Authority, (DDMA) on Friday gave approval to the government's proposal to run the public transport buses with full seating capacity.

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According to the DDMA order issued by Chief Secretary Vijay Dev the movement of buses will be permitted on a trial basis up to November 8 or till further orders. Whichever is earlier, subject to the condition that no passenger will be allowed to travel in a standing position, without a mask and all other stipulations of standard operating procedure.

Meanwhile, Gahlot in his tweet said bus travellers will require to wear face masks and appealed to people to observe proper physical distancing in view of the COVID-19 threat.

"The passengers can travel on all the seats of buses from tomorrow.No passenger, however, will be allowed to travel in standing position. Wearing mask is compulsory and I appeal to all the travellers to maintain social distance to check the spread of Corona virus," Gahlot tweeted.

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SOP for temporary bus service resumption

According to the SOP, in case the number of persons boarding the bus is more than seating capacity then the driver and conductor will request the extra passengers to de-board with the help of marshal, if available. If the extra passengers refuse to comply with the order, the driver and conductor will seek police assistance, the SOP stated.

Strict disciplinary action will be taken against the driver of any DTC or Cluster bus if he is found carrying passengers more than the vehicle's seating capacity.  The driver will also be liable for prosecution action under Disaster Management Act 2005, it added.

The DDMA also directed the Transport commissioner and managing directors of DTC and DIMTS to ensure strict compliance with its order. It further said that disciplinary proceedings will be initiated against the driver and the conductor of the bus, and responsibility will be fixed on the depot manager concerned for supervisory lapses.

In March, the inter-state bus services were stopped after the imposition of COVID lockdown, resulting in the shutting down of inter-state bus terminals at Anand Vihar, Kashmiri Gate and Sarai Kale Khan.

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(With PTI inputs)