Nagpur: In a significant development, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has terminated the contract of Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS) Ltd and appointed Mumbai-based Chalo Mobility Private Limited (CMPL) as the new operator for Integrated Bus Transport Management (IBTM) for Nagpur’s Aapli Bus service, a local media report said.
According to the report, the CMPL has already started the process of taking charge and will officially start operation from May 1. NMC will pay Rs 215 crore over five years to CMPL — higher than Rs 186 crore paid to DIMTS. However, 40% of CMPL’s payout will be based on its performance, including increasing earnings per kilometre (EPKM) and passenger footfall. The Rs 215 crore will also include Rs113 crore expenses for appointing conductors, the report added.
Gold Rate
29 April 2025
DIMTS had been overseeing the operation of six bus operators and two ticketing agencies. Under the new arrangement, CMPL will be responsible for supervising only bus operators and their depots. The onus of providing conductors will fall under the purview of CMPL, eliminating the need for a separate ticketing agency.
The report further said that after taking over the city bus operation from Vansh Nimay Infra Projects Limited in 2016, the civic body chose DIMTS to run the public bus service in Nagpur urban region for five years. As per the agreement, the IBTM operator should carry out and complete the city bus service in accordance with the provisions of the contract. But DIMTS failed miserably.
When VNIL was running the city bus service, the passenger footfall was 1.50 lakh per day, which reduced to 1.20 lakh in DIMTS’s tenure. While no efforts were taken to increase the number of commuters, important factors like route rationalisation were ignored, resulting in a below-average experience for bus passengers. An increase in revenue pilferage due to inadequate monitoring, higher service costs for bus operation, and minimal ITS usage in performing bus operations were some of the issues that prevailed.
Citing an example, the report pointed out that the number of city bus fleets increased from 350 to 420 in the last couple of months, but revenue from city bus operation did not rise in comparison. With 40% payment based on its performance, the new programme manager will have to improve the city bus service by taking several initiatives like improving the reliability of bus service, providing bus arrival information with a new passenger information system, implementing a smart card-based automated fare payment system, and offering app-based information about the availability of buses and seats on desired routes.
