Delhi Govt Mulling to Bring Back Ho Ho Bus Service Ahead of G-20 Summit

The Hop-on Hop-off (Ho Ho) buses are all set to make a comeback on Delhi's roads with the city government planning to revive them in the lead up to a G-20 summit here. A senior official said the modalities still need to be worked out but they are seeing March or April for the launch. "We are still thinking whether we will launch it in partnership with DTC or bring on board a private operator who can run the bus for us. We plan to have electric buses for the scheme to resume since it will send out a positive message and they will be comfortable also," said the official.

Another official said the buses are likely to ply on two routes covering monuments in old and south Delhi while the frequency is likely to be an hour, keeping in mind the unpredictable traffic situation in Delhi. He said initially they plan to have at least eight such buses and the maximum number could be up to 15.

"The Ho Ho bus model was stalled in 2020 due to Covid and we plan to revive it. But even when it shut down, it was running into losses. The model has not been sustainable in the world.

"There are several challenges -- like we cannot keep the tickets high, then also Delhi's traffic is unpredictable. If the waiting time is half an hour, there is no surety whether the bus will actually arrive in half an hour owing to the traffic situation. Also, the takers for the Ho Ho bus rides are mostly foreigners," the official said.

He said if the idea of the eight-hour-long bus rides do not materialise, they could also go in for having targeted tours -- like having a tour of markets, heritage monuments, etc and have different colours of buses for that. "The modalities will be clear in a few days," the official added.