“Feeder electric buses are being introduced for the first time in Delhi on trial basis by Delhi Metro from this Thursday i.e., from August 12, 2021 under which 25 low floor e-buses (24-seater) will be plying from two routes,” DMRC stated.

These buses will be fully contactless and run without conductors. Passengers can enter the buses through turnstiles using their Delhi Metro smart cards or Metro DTC smart cards. No cash payments will be allowed on these buses. Metro smart cards are already used in DTC buses.

DMRC said it will introduce 100 feeder e-buses by the end of October in a phased manner to provide an enhanced last-mile commuting experience from 14 metro stations covering 10 routes to the public.

For buses originating from metro stations, passengers will be allowed to enter only from the stations. The bus will halt only at the designated stops and no entry will be permitted at other stoppages on the route. For buses going to metro stations, entry will be allowed at all stoppages, but passengers will be allowed to deboard only at metro stations. This arrangement is to ensure that only metro passengers use this service.

Passengers will be allowed to enter from the front gate and exit from the rear gate of the bus, the statement said.

One of the two routes, marked MC-721, will be from Shastri Park metro station to Gokulpuri metro station via Khajuri Chowk, spanning 10.3 km. The other route, ML-05, will be from Shastri park metro station to Mother Dairy, measuring 7.7 km in length.

The fare structure will be ₹10 for zero to four km; ₹15 for four to eight km; ₹20 for eight to 12 km; and ₹25 for journeys beyond 12 km.

These e-buses are specially designed and equipped with an intelligent transport system with CCTVs and GPS facilities. These also have anti-skid, anti-brake locking systems and will not move till all doors are closed. The doors will not close on detecting any obstruction.

For the differently-abled and elderly passengers, these buses are fitted with ramps and anchorage for a wheelchair. For any emergency, these buses are also equipped with a panic button and a stop request button.

For the maintenance and stabling of these buses, dedicated depots have been set up at Shastri Park and Majlis Park, along with an operational control centre to monitor the vehicles.

There are 2.5 MW electric connection facilities to charge the e-buses. For regular cleaning, automatic wash plants have also been provided at both the e-bus depots.