Bus ridership in Delhi down 20% in 6 years
What's the story
The Economic Survey 2025-26 has revealed a startling trend in Delhi's public transport system. Despite an increase in the number of buses, ridership on the buses operated by the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and cluster scheme has dropped sharply since FY2019-20. The survey found that daily passengers on these buses have decreased from over 51 lakh in FY2019-20 to about 40.8 lakh in FY2024-25, a decline of nearly 20%.
Ridership drop
DTC ridership falls 23%
The survey data indicates a decline in ridership across both DTC and cluster buses. DTC's daily passengers have fallen from 33.4 lakh to 25.6 lakh, a drop of over 23%. Cluster buses have also seen their ridership decline from 17.71 lakh to 15.3 lakh, an approximate decrease of 14%. This trend is surprising given Delhi's growing population and government efforts to boost public transport usage.
Fleet expansion
DTC and cluster fleet size rises slightly
Interestingly, the combined fleet size of DTC and cluster buses has only slightly increased from 6,672 to 6,966 over the same period. DTC's fleet rose from 3,762 in FY2019-20 to 3,819 in FY2024-25. Meanwhile, cluster buses saw a sharper increase, from 2,910 to 3,147. This data shows that even with an expanded fleet and free rides for women since 2019 under Delhi government's policies aimed at boosting ridership, bus use is still declining.
Expert opinion
What do experts say?
Transport expert Anil Chikkara emphasized that merely increasing fleet size isn't enough. He suggested improving interchange points to reduce waiting times and enhancing the passenger information system so people know when the next bus will arrive. Chikkara also stressed on the need for modernizing bus shelters as part of efforts to improve public transport services in Delhi.