Delhi Bus
Traveling around Delhi in bus can be a good idea, however, if you are taking a public transport, you need to have a thorough knowledge about the place and the routes. New Delhi, the capital of India offers an extensive network of bus and can let you indulge in a very authentic Indian culture once you take the public transport as the main way of traveling across the city.
Read more about Delhi Transport
Most buses in Delhi are run by Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC). This is a government body and takes care of the bus network and its services in and around the city. It is as vast as covering almost 800 bus routes and 2,500 bus stops that connect almost all parts of the capital.
The Delhi bus tickets are designed where the digit on the top represent the route number of the bus. The tickets for the Delhi buses are priced at a maximum of 25 INR and minimum 15 INR. There is a very interesting approach that DTC has taken where it provides free rides to women on the Indian festivals of Bhai Dooj and Raksha Bandhan.
Types of Buses
1. Blue Line Buses
Delhi bus system has seen a lot of changes in last couple of years keeping in mind to enhance the performance and safety of the transport system. A very common bus called the blue line buses where phased out in 2011 which was soon replaced by a clean, non-air conditioned orange cluster bus. This works under public private partnership agreement.
2. Cluster Delhi Buses
The cluster Delhi buses has been created by the Delhi integrated multi-modal transit system. These cluster buses can be tracked through GPS and you can find where the bus is in case you are running late or something. The drivers for this buses are specially trained and have computerized tickets. It follows a strict standard in terms of punctuality and cleanliness, however since these buses are not air conditioned, it can be a bit uncomfortable during the hot and humid summers.
3. Green Card for DTC Buses
DTC issues a green card which is valid if you are travelling in any DTC bus service throughout the day. The fare is 50 INR for AC buses and 40 INR for the non AC ones. Earlier, there were some rickety old buses which has also been removed and replaced with new vehicles with low floor green and red buses. These red buses are the ones which are air conditioned and can be found on almost all routes across the city.Time
Generally, the bus service in Delhi starts as early as 5:30 a.m. and goes on till 11 p.m. There are night bus services only on some selected routes. The frequency of the daily buses is from 5 to 30 minutes depending on the time and route. Mostly, you can find a bus to a certain route in an interval of 15 to 20 minutes. Although, it is very difficult to promise a time from going from destination A to B because it depends entirely on the traffic of the roads. You can however get a time table of DTC bus routes from online.Routes
The main Ring Road and Outer Ring Road have two bus routes Mudrika Seva and Bahri Mudrika Seva, respectively. The city's longest bus route is Bahri Mudrika Seva that is for 105 km (65 mi).Fares
The fares are expensive for the new air-condition buses and you have to pay a minimum of 10 rupees to a maximum of 25 rupees if you are riding on an air condition bus. For an ordinary Delhi bus, it can be anywhere between 5 INR to 15 INR.Delhi Airport Express Service
This is a popular airport bus service that has been launched by DTC in 2010. It is a very connective route that runs from Delhi Airport terminal 3 to various important locations such as Kashmiri Gate, Connaught Place, Anand Vihar, Indirapuram, Rohini, Rajendra Place, Azad Pur and Gurgaon.Tourist Buses
Delhi tourism operates a purple air conditioned bus service for tourists which is called Delhi Hop on hop off. The ticket prices are different for the locals and the foreigners and the tickets cost 1,000 INR for international tourists. You can get a two-day ticket at 1,200 INR as an international tourist.International Bus Service
You can also find international bus service from Delhi. The Delhi-Kathmandu bus route has been taken up by DTC which is an air-conditioned luxury bus and costs around 2,300 INR for every passenger. Another air conditioned luxury bus runs from the city to Lahore and the tickets are priced at 2,400 INR for anybody above 12 years of age and for children between 2 to 12, it is 1,500 INR.