Low Floor DTC Buses Fleet to Hit NOIDA roads soon

After the Metro link between NOIDA and Delhi opened on Thursday, there is some more joy in store for residents of the satellite town. Delhi Transport Corporation has decided to run 35 low-floor buses between Delhi and NOIDA from next week. Sources said the buses have already been procured and will be pressed into service once they are registered with local RTO.

Sources at NOIDA’s DTC depot said that in the first phase, 35 buses will be run daily.

‘‘We expect to take this number to 40 in the next few weeks. We wish to take the total number of low-floor buses operating in NOIDA to 100. Out of these, at least 30 buses will be air-conditioned,’’ said a senior DTC official.

Residents in NOIDA welcomed the DTC move. ‘‘The Metro might be here, but vast sections of NOIDA, including sectors 12, 22, 62, 63 and Nithari — are not covered by it. DTC buses will help people in these areas. With low-floor buses, I now hope to avoid rides on the rickety Bluelines,’’ said Sanjeev Sharma, a PR executive residing in sector 22.

Sanjay Bohidar, a media professional residing in sector 56, said he was expecting more frequent services on dedicated routes. ‘‘The service from NOIDA to Dhaula Kuan and Airport is very erratic.

There are a lot of passengers on these routes, especially during the office hours. I will request the DTC to run more buses on these routes,’’ he said. At present, the DTC has 20 buses at its NOIDA depot. The UPSRTC runs 35 buses on various Delhi routes.

UP road transport department officials said once low-floor buses are introduced in NOIDA, the department might have to revise fares. ‘‘With DMRC and DTC focusing on NOIDA routes, we will loss passengers unless we go for another round of revisions,’’ said a senior UPSRTC official.