Delhi's DTC has India's largest bus fleet, leaves Bengaluru's BMTC behind: Report

DTC jumped its bus fleet strength from 4,168 in 2016 to 7,001 in 2022 whereas BMTC increased its bus fleet from 6,270 in 2016 to 6,911.

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After maintaining the record for country’s largest bus fleet for years, Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) loses its top spot to Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC). DTC jumped its bus fleet strength from 4,168 in 2016 to 7,001 in 2022 and further plans to increase its fleet number to 11,000 in a few years.

Whereas, BMTC increased its bus fleet from 6,270 in 2016 to 6,911 which involves 90 e-buses that were procured under a lease model. Further, in order to control the national capital’s pollution levels, the Delhi Transport Minister, Kailash Gehlot flagged off 100 low-floor air-conditioned CNG buses along with a prototype e-bus on March 7.

These buses were introduced under the cluster scheme of Delhi government and are equipped with modern facilities like panic button, GPS and disabled-friendly. As per sources, the number of registered private vehicles in Bengaluru has increased from 77.8 lakh in 2016-17 to more than 1 crore.

Officials suggest inadequate financial support from the government has affected BMTC’s expansion plans, as Bengaluru at least requires around 15,000 more buses in its fleet.

Utilization of buses has also reduced post Covid-19 pandemic, which has affected overall turnaround time. This has impacted BMTC’s revenue generation and as a consequence, many buses are finding it tough to complete trips.