GURUGRAM: In the absence of a robust bus network, the city may find it difficult to effectively adopt the odd-even scheme. The Gurugram Metropolitan City Bus Limited (GMCBL) currently has a fleet of only 173 buses, plying along 28 routes, with no vehicles in reserve — this despite the comprehensive mobility plan stating that an additional 600 buses were required on an “immediate basis” to cater to the population of 16.8 lakh (in 2019). This means that GMCBL needs to add at least 581 more buses to have a fleet of 754 as per the plan.
The CEO of the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), under which the GMCBL operates, said there is a plan to include procurement of additional vehicles on the agenda for the next meeting.
In such a situation, when the odd-even scheme is implemented next week, the population that can’t use their private vehicles on a given day as well as others who rely on public transport for commuting will be dependent on the limited number of cabs, autorickshaws, and e-rickshaws operational in the city, which themselves would then be in short supply.
GMDA said the number of buses can’t be increased at such short notice. “We don’t have any vehicles in reserve. All our vehicles are operational at present,” CEO Sudhir Rajpal said.
The absence of a strong bus network also finds mention in GMDA’s comprehensive mobility plan, which was released in December last year. At that time, GMCBL had 154 buses. The document had stated that there was a need for an additional 600 buses as an “immediate requirement”.
A year later, GMCBL has added only 19 buses to its fleet. Asked about any plans to procure additional vehicles, CEO Rajpal said, “We will bring an agenda in the next authority meeting to get some more vehicles. The Haryana transport department is also planning to buy 50 e-vehicles for local transport in Gurgaon.” These plans, however, are likely to take several months to materialise, implying that the odd-even scheme, if adopted, will be put in place without any changes to the city’s public transport network in terms of buses.
