In collaboration with Delhi Transport Corporation, Delhi University has launched a low floor bus service to and from the Vishwavidyalaya metro station in North Campus.
The bus service began with the new session on 21st July. It charges a flat rate of Rs 5 and plies from Monday to Saturday on three routes. These three routes cover all the colleges in North Campus and have provided the students and teachers an alternate means of travelling to and from the metro station, which until now was the monopoly of the rickshaw puller.
This bus service started just in time as, in keeping with the rising prices, rickshaw pullers have also upped their rates. As opposed to charging Rs 10 for one person till the red light on Chattra Marg, rickshaw pullers now agree to provide their services for Rs 15; that too after some haggling. This might be an opportunistic temporary rise in prices to try to make a better living for a few days at the expense of freshers who are still learning the ropes of campus life and are not very aware of the prevalent rates. Even though some students sympathise with the rickshaw puller, they are glad for the availability of an alternate means of transportation. Says a student of Hindu College, “These rickshaw pullers work very hard in the heat and deserve whatever they are charging. In these inflationary times, it is difficult for them to make ends meet. So a rise in rates seems justified. However, it is difficult for us as well as we have to make do in a fixed amount that we get as pocket money. So the bus service is definitely a blessing”.