The Delhi government notified has published a draft for the ‘Delhi Motor Vehicles Licensing of aggregator (Premium Buses) Scheme, 2023, which will bring in private ‘premium’ buses with de-regulated fares, flexible market driven routes, as well as digital booking of seats. A notification of the draft has been released in the public domain for suggestions and objections of stakeholders, the government stated.
According to the draft, a ‘Premium Bus’ has been defined as a luxury public service vehicle having seating capacity of more than 12 passengers, Air Conditioner (AC), Wi-Fi, GPS, CCTV, Panic Button, 2 x 2 seats, and reclining function for seats. Passengers will need to book tickets for these premium bus services through a mobile application, at least 10 minutes prior to the boarding time.

Like cab aggregators, the bus operator shall be at liberty to prescribe a suitable fare structure for any route or destination. “The fare shall be displayed on the mobile and web-based application for the information of the general public. Dynamic pricing shall be permissible provided that the base fare shall not be less than the peak fare of Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) AC buses,” the draft said.
What’s more, the scheme will only allow the induction of only fully electric buses after January 1, 2024. New CNG buses, even with BS6-compliance shall not be allowed to be run under this scheme, as per the notification.

Would you consider travelling in a ‘Premium Bus’ instead of taking a cab, given the fare is lower? Let us know in the comments down below.