DTC Buses to be Painted Green before Games

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit Gives green Signal to paint all DTC buses in green before 2010 CWG.

Fleet of yellow and green Delhi Transport Corporation buses is all set to don a new look. Before the Commonwealth Games in October 2010, DTC's old fleet of 2,000 buses will acquire a fresh coat of "grass green" color.

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has approved the color scheme and the buses will be repainted by April 2010.

"We want to change DTC's image before the Commonwealth Games in October next year. Changing its look is a part of it," Delhi transport minister Arvinder Singh Lovely said.

"DTC is not just about buses. We want to run it... like the metro or the railways."
The yellow and green buses have been synonymous with the city's public transport since the DTC came into existence in 1971. And even the DTC cadre seems to be welcoming the proposed change.

"There is an enthusiasm among workers which has never been seen before," said M.K. Sardana, the depot manager who has worked with DTC for over 35 years. "The idea of changing the color has filled them with fresh energy."

Before the 2010 Commonwealth Games begins, DTC will have a fresh batch of 7,000 new buses to aid its existing fleet of around 2,000 buses. Before 2002, DTC buses were primarily yellow in color with one thick band of green and white running through the lower half of the bus.

Then, came the biggest transformation in DTC's history and diesel run old buses were converted into a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)propelled fleet, making it the world's largest environment-friendly public transport system. DTC added another band of green to denote its shift to an environment-friendly public transport system.

Seven year hence, the DTC has completely changed the color scheme of the bus and reduced yellow color to a thin band of just five centimeters.

With the new low-floor buses in bright green (non-air conditioned) and red (air conditioned) color, the old fleet in grass green color is expected to make it look "more attractive".

"With these attractive buses, public transport is getting a new look figuratively as well as literally," said Delhi chief secretary Rakesh Mehta, who headed the DTC during its switch from diesel to CNG.

The green interior of the bus will also be changed to grey to make it look "bright from inside". While the color of the upholstery will remain the same, all buses will boast of new seats.

The front and the rear destination boards will be converted to LED-based alpha-numeric dual display that will be visible even in daylight.