Delhi Transport Corporation may increase fares to cut losses

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Transport Corporation will hike fares. A proposal to increase fares has been cleared by the finance department, said sources.

The proposal is long-standing and has been cleared before, but was shelved whenever it came to the cabinet. The last fare revision took place in 2009.

A senior DTC official said the proposal to hike fares by more than 50% has been approved by the finance department but it is yet to receive the LG's nod.

"The corporation is incurring a loss of Rs 1,000 crore annually. A fare hike has been in the works for more than two years now. The matter will come before the LG for approval this month."

DTC has 5,100 buses-including AC and non-AC buses. According to statistics, DTC misses over 12,000 trips due to breakdowns, shortage of drivers and conductors every day.

As per the proposal, the minimum fare may go up from Rs 5 to Rs 10 in non-AC bus and from Rs 10 to Rs 15 in AC buses. They have also proposed increasing the rate for a monthly students' pass from Rs 100 to Rs 200 and increasing the charge for a general pass from Rs 800 to Rs 1,000.

"The fares were last revised in 2009. The price of CNG has been going up consistently, putting extra burden on the financial health of the corporation," said a DTC official.