Eye on Commonwealth Games: English language, manners training for Delhi Transport Corporation staff

In an effort to add value to the visitors' experience in public transport during the Commonwealth Games this year, Delhi Government has decided to train the conductors and drivers of low-floor bus fleet on helping and guiding the tourists.

The Transport department of the city government has already started an English speaking course for drivers and conductors of Delhi Transport Corporation so that they could at least answer the basic queries of the foreign tourists.

"We have conceived the training programmes for DTC conductors and bus drivers to add value addition to the experience of the foreign tourists," transport minister Arvinder Singh Lovely said.

He said the drivers and conductors of the DTC will be the "ambassadors of the city" as they will have to guide the visitors on many aspects.

The Government has already entered into an arrangement with Confederation of Indian Industries on imparting training to the DTC staff on soft skills like welcoming a guest and other basic manners.

"We are putting a lot of efforts on training the DTC staff besides modernising the entire bus fleet," Lovely said.

The DTC, which runs the world's largest fleet of CNG buses, has already finalised an attractive uniform for the drivers and conductors for the event.

As part of its modernisation plan, the DTC has already procured over 1,000 low floor buses and has placed orders to procure 3,500 more such buses ahead of the Commonwealth Games to held from October 3 to 14.

The DTC plans to have a fleet of 4,500 low-floor and semi-low floor buses during the sporting event.

The DTC has also started changing the colour of its old buses, to make them look brighter.

As part of its transport modernisation plan, the government is also working on a bus cluster project under which nearly 650 bus routes across the city are being divided into 17 clusters, each comprising profitable and non- profitable routes on which private operators will run their buses.

The scheme involves replacement of existing blue-line buses by buses run by private operators.