The Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and cluster bus system will phase out 2,743 CNG buses by August 2031, with only electric buses being procured going forward, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Monday.

Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu, in a written reply, stated that Delhi currently operates 5,691 buses, including electric ones, against a target of 11,000 buses to be equally provided by DTC and private operators.

Of the total, 2,743 are CNG buses — comprising 993 under DTC and 1,750 under private clusters. These will be gradually retired, with the older DTC CNG buses, over 10 years in service, to be phased out by FY27, while the cluster buses will be withdrawn by August 2031.

The minister noted that all cluster buses are now being introduced under the gross cost contract (GCC) model managed by the transport department. He further added that in the last five years, no funds have been released by either the Centre or the Delhi government for procuring new CNG buses, underscoring the transition to an all-electric fleet.

Most of DTC’s CNG low-floor buses were procured ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, making them due for retirement as Delhi pivots to greener, more sustainable public transport.