Delhi Launches 56 Women-Only Electric Bus Trips Connecting Connaught Place and Key Hubs
Delhi on Wednesday rolled out 56 dedicated women-only electric bus services connecting major commercial and educational hubs across the city, including Connaught Place, Shivaji Stadium, and Delhi University colleges. Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu and Chief Minister Rekha Gupta flagged off the buses from the Delhi University Sports Complex as part of an induction of 200 new electric vehicles.
The women-only services are designed primarily for working women and students travelling during morning and evening peak hours. The rollout includes 30 Ladies Special trips operating across 15 high-demand routes and 26 University Ladies Special, or U-Spl, trips running on 13 routes.
To ensure passenger safety, women police personnel and Home Guards have been deployed on board the Ladies Special buses, and the services are operated by female staff. Panic buttons installed inside the buses are integrated directly with the Delhi Police 112 emergency response system to facilitate quick emergency response times.
The 30 Ladies Special trips will serve key employment and transit locations, including Connaught Place, Shivaji Stadium, Nehru Place, AIIMS, South Extension, R.K. Puram, ITO, Delhi Secretariat, Karol Bagh, and Kashmere Gate. Meanwhile, the 26 University Ladies Special trips will connect several Delhi University colleges, including Hindu College, Ramjas College, Daulat Ram College, Shri Ram College, Lady Shri Ram College, Gargi College, ARSD College, and Hansraj College.
The safety measures follow review meetings held in June, where the Lieutenant Governor directed the transport department to introduce dedicated women-only buses on sensitive and heavily travelled routes. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta stated that the initiative aims to provide safe, dignified, and convenient travel for women across the capital.
The launch was part of a larger addition of 200 zero-emission electric buses to Delhi's public transit network, comprising 88 12-metre buses and 112 DEVI 9-metre buses. All the newly inducted vehicles are low-floor and air-conditioned.
With this latest induction, Delhi's operational electric bus fleet has crossed 5,000, bringing the total public bus fleet to approximately 6,800. Transport Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh confirmed that the government plans to expand the overall fleet to around 14,000 buses by 2028-29 as it transitions Delhi Transport Corporation operations toward electric vehicles.
