The next set of cluster buses will be on roads by first week of November as the Transport department gets ready to launch the service that will run out of Kanjhawala depot. The upcoming set will include clusters 3,4 and 5. Cluster 1 buses are already plying on South Delhi roads. The launch of clusters 3,4 and 5 comes before cluster 2 because the depot in Kanjhawala in Northwest Delhi is ready. It would be nearer the routes of these clusters. Once a depot is earmarked for Southeast Delhi,cluster 2 will be started as well, said an official. In cluster 3,182 buses will run on 29 routes; in cluster 4 ,148 buses will ply on 20 routes; and in cluster 5,120 buses will be on 20 routes. The fate of other clusters,meanwhile,hangs in balance as no other depot is completed yet. Cluster 1,which was flagged-off in May this year,was also delayed due to lack of depot space. The service is the first organised private bus operation after the phase-out of the Blueline buses. The Transport department has been banking on it to fill the gap left by the Blueline buses. The plan was to divide all the 650 routes in the city into clusters,and let a consortium of private investors operate them.
