Delhi gets hydrogen-fueled shuttle buses: All you need to know

NEW DELHI: Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), in collaboration with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, has launched an integrated hydrogen-powered shuttle bus service in Delhi’s Central Vista area. The initiative, supported by Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), introduces two hydrogen-fuelled buses with a seating capacity of 35 passengers each. The buses are equipped with GPS-based tracking and CCTV systems to enable real-time monitoring, safety, punctuality and route adherence. According to officials, the shuttle service will operate on all working days, excluding gazetted holidays, during peak office hours. DMRC Director (Operations & Services) Amit Kumar Jain said the service will run from 8:30 am to 12.30pm in the morning and 3.30pm to 6:30pm in the evening. Speaking to ANI, Jain said the system has been designed as an environmentally friendly last-mile connectivity option in the Central Vista zone. Amit Kumar Jain told ANI that the DMRC has planned two loops of shuttle services in Central Vista as an environmentally friendly last-mile connectivity option. He added that the government is planning to run shuttle buses connecting government colonies to the nearest metro stations. “This will connect all offices and metro stations in Central Vista. This will ply from 8.30 am to 6.30 pm. Metro is considered the most sustainable, environmentally friendly mode. But the metro cannot reach everywhere. So, last-mile options are very important. We have fossil fuel-based options available for last-mile options. I am delighted, and I would like to thank IOCL for providing these H2O buses. Besides being energy efficient, they are environmentally friendly.” “As of now, these will connect DMRC stations in Central Vista - Seva Teerth and Central Secretariat, as well as the offices here. There is another plan by the Government - providing shuttle buses which will connect government colonies to the nearest metro stations,” he added.