Transport in Delhi

Delhi depends to a large extent on its transport facilities for smooth conduct of various activities. The city stands proud with introduction of Metro rail services. Metro services have been largely appreciated worldwide. The city houses more than 55 lakhs of registered vehicles, majority of which does not have a valid pollution check certificate. The Metropolitan or NCR region has approximately 112 lakhs registered vehicles. The traffic jam in city consumes approximately four hundred and twenty million man hours. In order to counter this traffic menace, the Delhi Transport Corporation is coming up with some excellent initiatives. These initiatives and projects are expected to popularize transport among the visitors.

The various projects undertaken by Delhi government have helped in improving transport facility which is presently one of best in the country. The tourists can make use of air conditioned buses, superfast trains, radio cabs and Delhi Metro service for transportation. The pleasant age old auto rickshaws and cycle rickshaws still continues in the city.

Delhi Trains

The population explosion caused by migration of large number of people to the national capital has resulted in demand for significant transport system. This has resulted in additional burden on Delhi Transport Corporation to provide additional infrastructure. Further, the organizing of international events and visit of international tourists has necessitated the need of international standard infrastructures. The air pollution, traffic jams and high temperature often results in loss of valuable man-hours and decrease in production. The introduction of Delhi Metro is an excellent project and this was seen as a solution to all these problems. Delhi Metro work was commenced in the year 1998. The excellent technology and security measures available make it a comfortable medium of transport now in Delhi. By the end of 2010, Metro tracks for 190 km have been laid. There are approximately 132 stations with several new lines yet to be constructed.

Delhi Buses

Delhi has an excellent bus network and there are buses to almost all parts of city. There are several types of buses and the fare varies as per the comfort level the bus offers. However, traffic in the city can take a lot of your valuable time and test your patience.

Some of the popular type of bus services available with Delhi Transport Corporation is Bahri Mudrika and Mudrika. The buses operate till 2230 Hrs. There are not enough clarity on the bus routes and other services in the form of books or paper. However, some websites provide you with information on bus routes in Delhi, the best way to know the route is to ask the people at bus stand. Bus fares range between Rs.5 to 25 based on the comfort and distance.

Low Floor Buses in Delhi

The DTC (Delhi Transport Corporation) has commenced an initiative to enhance the condition of Bus services in the state by introduction of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). Further the introduction of low floor and air conditioned buses are believed to help in popularizing bus travel among the people. The DTC also plans to integrate the bus stands and buses by using GPRS system to accurately forecast the timing of arrival of bus at various stands. The Delhi Government had planned to launch approximately 6000 low floor buses during the commonwealth games in year 2010.

Delhi Auto Rickshaws

Auto rickshaws are also very popular means of transport in Delhi. However, it is very difficult to make the auto drivers to put their meters on. In order to get a reasonable fare you should have good bargaining power. So if you are not keen on getting the meter on then do fix the fare well before boarding the auto rickshaw.

The table below would provide you an idea of the fare chargeable by auto rickshaw in Delhi:

Delhi Taxis

If you are comfortable with paying slightly higher fare then you can opt for taxi service. Facilities for availing taxi service include booking a taxi over phone or picking one from the street or taxi point.

Black & Yellow Roofed Taxi

The complete Delhi region has taxis running on CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) in the entire country. To get a taxi service you can either wait on the streets or visit a taxi stand where taxis are available. In Delhi taxicabs are referred as just Taxis by omitting the word cab.

Radio Taxis

Delhi Transport has undergone huge transformation in the last few years to provide comfortable movement for people in the city. As part of this initiative radio taxis were introduced in the city to impart economical, comfortable, safe and healthy transport. Hiring a Radio cab is very simple, you can hire air conditioned, professional and comfortable radio based on your budget and requirement. Radio Taxi facility can be availed for traveling long distances as well as within the city. The details of cab number and mobile number of the driver are made available to the person booking the radio taxi.

The radio taxis are very sophisticated and contains digital fare meters, GPRS instruments and mini printers for printing the fare bills. Radio taxis are available in Delhi 24x7 with excellent security measure.

Car Rental

DTTDC is a fully functional Transport Department. It has numerous travel booking and tourist information centers at important locations across the Delhi region. These counters are ideally located at prominent points like railway stations, Airport, Bus stations and other shopping areas. They provide variety of coaches, tourist buses and other vehicles.

The Transport Division under DTTDC provides transport facility for important international and   national events. It has excellent experience in handling such mega events.

Rickshaws in Delhi

Cycle Rickshaws

People in Delhi prefer to travel by Cycle-Rickshaws when they have to travel short distances. The human pedaled rickshaws are available in every nook and corner of city. They are regarded as the cheapest means of transport and are often used by people and tourists to enjoy city rides by performing window shopping. Their entry in many areas in Delhi including the popular Chandini Chowk area has been restricted due to its slow speed which results in traffic jams. However, it is still one of the popular forms of public transport which shares the burden of transportation with other means.

Soleckshaw Solar Power Motorized Rickshaw

Cycle rickshaw operation has completed more than 100 years. For the betterment of life of rickshaw pullers and give them relief from pedaling CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) has come with an initiative of developing a solar electric rickshaw. This rickshaw is popularly called ‘Soleckshaw’ and works on electric energy supplied by batteries charged using solar energy. This project is expected to benefit millions of cycle rickshaw commuters and rickshaw pullers. Solechshaw is extremely environment friendly providing zero percent pollution and a healthier life for rickshaw-pullers. However, the main objective of this project is to minimize the human effort required in pulling a rickshaw.

Rapid Transit System in Delhi

Delhi Metro

‘Delhi Metro’ has become a striking example of technological advancement and achievement in the National capital. It operates between Noida, Gurgaon and Delhi which forms part of National Capital Territory of Delhi. Delhi Metro has become very popular among the visitors considering the World class facilities imparted in terms of comfort, security, consistency, and punctuality. Delhi Metro passes through underground, elevated and plain routes. It makes use of standard gauge and broad gauge rolling stock.

Delhi Suburban Railway

Northern Railway operates sub urban railway service which helps many commuters to reach Delhi from Suburban and nearby districts of adjoining states. Suburban service operates in nearby districts of Ghaziabad and Faridabad in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana state respectively. The services are mainly MEMU and EMU. Rewari in Haryana state also forms part of NCR, hence there are some DMU services and passenger services operation to this place from Delhi.