Soon dedicated bus bays, pre-paid auto & taxi booths at Kashmere Gate ISBT

Dedicated bus bays, pre-paid auto and taxi booths and parking areas to reduce congestion are some of the features envisaged for the Kashmere Gate ISBT as part of the AAP governments plan to make it a world class transit hub.Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot on Tuesday inspected the Inter State Bus Terminal ISBT at Kashmere Gate and reviewed the ongoing improvement plan to provide direct access to intra city government buses, closer to the ISBT main entrance itself, said an official statement.

Dedicated bus bays, pre-paid auto and taxi booths and parking areas to reduce congestion are some of the features envisaged for the Kashmere Gate ISBT as part of the AAP government's plan to make it a ''world class transit hub''.

Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot on Tuesday inspected the Inter State Bus Terminal (ISBT) at Kashmere Gate and reviewed the ongoing improvement plan to provide direct access to intra city government buses, closer to the ISBT main entrance itself, said an official statement. The Transport Department has been trying to reshape and reorganise the existing transit hub and develop an improvement plan to ensure convenience to passengers and reduce congestion in the area. As per the new circulation plan proposed by the department, Kashmere Gate ISBT will have dedicated bus bays for intra city government buses which will help passengers to board and deboard the buses. The DTC, and Cluster intra city buses drop passengers at Mori Gate Bus Stop about 400-500 metres from Kashmere Gate ISBT. Additionally, DTC, cluster and inter-state/intercity buses enter from the GT Karnal roadside causing heavy congestion on the main road, the statement said. ''Once these bus bays are functional, it will also reduce the congestion on the main roads around ISBT apart from providing convenient access to passengers both to and from these bus bay and ISBT,'' it said.

Since these bus bays will be behind the main entrance of the bus terminal, they will also provide direct access to Gate No-8 of Kashmere Gate Metro station, thereby providing ease of access and convenience to passengers.

Violet line Metro users will now be able to directly exit through Gate no 8 and move to the ISBT or take any other mode of transport. It will also reduce the traffic load at Gate No. 7 of Kashmere Gate Metro station, it added.

''Kashmere Gate ISBT has already been catering to a lot of intercity and intracity passengers working as transit hub due to availability of both metro and bus services. I am confident that with the new improvements we are making to the ISBT, both inside and outside, we will have a world class transit hub that Delhi can be proud of,'' Gahlot said.

The minister also directed senior officials to develop dedicated pre-paid booths for Taxi/auto drivers and parking spaces for autos/taxis and drop off point for Ola/Uber and other similar services. During the visit, it was discussed that DMRC’s under-utilized parking on the northern side can be merged with proposed modification plan to provide enhanced parking and pick and drop-off facility at Kashmere Gate ISBT. He also observed the lack of enough signages that is causing difficulty to passengers, especially to those from outside the city. He directed enough transit maps and signages to be placed at all major locations within and outside the ISBT for easy access and circulation.

He also conducted a surprise visit to the Transport Department Headquarters at Under Hill Road, Civil Lines to discuss the proposed improvement plan before visiting the Kashmere Gate ISBT. Kashmere Gate was the first ISBT established in 1976, and serves nine states, the highest number out of all ISBTs. It sees about 1,200 buses per day and caters to almost 75,000 passengers per day. With the high-density passenger movement everyday, it is also a high-risk zone. Earlier the Delhi Government had also directed to conduct pedestrian audits to ensure passenger safety at this hub.