Despite the BJP’s so-called ‘four-engine government’, Delhi’s public transport system has completely collapsed. On Tuesday, Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj exposed the chaos by visiting several bus stops, where he found passengers waiting for hours due to the severe shortage of buses since the BJP government removed cluster buses in April. He revealed that Delhi’s DTC (Delhi Transport Corporation) buses are in a terrible state, and people are being forced to wait endlessly at bus stops.
Inspecting the situation at the Mandi House bus stop, AAP Delhi Unit President Saurabh Bharadwaj found large crowds waiting for buses amid a severe shortage. Highlighting the issue, he said, “Around 30 buses used to pass through the Mandi House bus stop, but their number has now been drastically reduced. As a result, passengers are being forced to wait for up to an hour for a bus.” He added that several passengers informed him the problem has worsened in the last one and a half to two months. “When cluster buses were running on Delhi’s roads, passengers would get a bus within minutes. But the BJP government has stopped the cluster buses,” he said.
Sharing the concerns raised by commuters, Saurabh Bharadwaj continued, “People told me that after the BJP government came to power, the behaviour of bus drivers has also changed. Women often complain that drivers refuse to stop the bus when they signal and even use abusive language. Drivers and conductors should treat women with respect, but that is not happening.”
He added that the reduced number of buses at the Mandi House stop has particularly hit those travelling to East Delhi and across the Yamuna. “Buses to areas such as Laxmi Nagar, Anand Vihar, and Chand Cinema have vanished. Passengers now have to wait endlessly for buses on routes like 139, 164, 167, 188, 260, and 270. Buses on routes 260 and 270 have stopped completely. After waiting an hour or more, when a bus finally arrives, it is packed to the brim—boarding becomes difficult and alighting almost impossible. The situation worsens in the evening,” he said.
According to the AAP Delhi Unit Chie, office-goers shared that they now plan for an extra hour’s wait after work, but still struggle to find a bus. “In the morning, some buses manage to come, but by evening, due to traffic jams and shortage of buses, the problem becomes unbearable,” he said.
Referring to specific routes, Saurabh Bharadwaj added, “Passengers told me that buses like 740, 91, and 391 have almost stopped. The buses going to Laxmi Nagar are so few that they run overcrowded, and people can’t even get in due to the rush. Similarly, on the routes to Anand Vihar such as 85, 740, and 73, the number of buses has decreased in the past month. Most buses that arrive are already full. Earlier, people had to wait only 15–20 minutes, but now it takes one and a half to two hours.”
He added that the people of East Delhi are the worst affected because most buses now terminate at ITO. “Patients travelling to GTB Hospital or Cancer Hospital are facing an even tougher situation,” he said.
Pointing to the government’s poor planning, the AAP Delhi chief revealed, “Passengers told me that buses have been removed under the pretext of depot renovation. If renovation is indeed happening, it should be done one depot at a time—why shut them all together? The Metro cannot reach everywhere, so buses are essential. For people who depend on buses daily, life has become extremely difficult. This is nothing short of hostility towards passengers. By shutting down cluster buses, the BJP government has caused maximum harm to the people of East Delhi.”
Later in the morning, around 9 a.m., Saurabh Bharadwaj inspected the Chirag Delhi bus stop in South Delhi. Observing passengers waiting for bus number 534 to Anand Vihar, he said, “People told me they had been waiting for over 40 minutes, and such delays happen every day.” He noted that similar problems exist on other routes as well. “Bus number 419, which runs from Ambedkar Nagar to Old Delhi, used to be frequent earlier, but now passengers have to wait for an hour or more. This was not the case before—the problem has worsened over the last two to two and a half months,” he added.
Continuing his inspection, Saurabh Bharadwaj stated, “Passengers also told me that bus number 427, which goes to Nizamuddin Railway Station, takes at least half an hour to arrive. Routes 423 and 419 are facing the most serious issues.” Emphasising their importance, he said, “Bus routes 423 and 419 are the lifelines of Delhi. These buses travel from Khanpur and Ambedkar Nagar to Mori Gate and Old Delhi. Most people I met complained about these very routes.”
