Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) officials has started testing free WiFi and CCTV cameras on three major routes in Delhi, including Airport Express route.
A Delhi government official said that the government ‘has started testing these facilities in buses on Airport Express, Mudrika and Narela route.’
Transport minister, Gopal Rai, said that his government will execute the project in some DTC buses including AC and non-AC low floor buses in the first phase.
The flagship project of Arvind Kejriwal government, this was one of the key promises of Aam Admi Party (AAP) in this year’s assembly elections, which saw them win a historic mandate.
The WiFi service will only be free for short period of time.
In July this year, the AAP government had decided to install closed-circuit television (CCTVs) cameras in over 3,700 low-floor DTC buses plying in Delhi, including 1,275 air-conditioned ones. The move is expected to bolster women’s security in the capital.
According to the plan, the government was to start the process of installing CCTVs in 2,500 non-AC and 1,275 AC low-floor buses within two months, transport minister Gopal Rai said.
The Delhi government is also planning to install CCTV cameras in cluster buses operated by Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS).
Three CCTV cameras will be installed in each bus so that the entire vehicle is covered. A close watch will be kept through them on every passenger.
The trial of wifi in buses is being seen as a radical step. Once successful, Delhi will join the league of those countries such as the UK, where the Bus operators recently introduced the free wifi for the travelling passengers.