From correspondents in Delhi, India, 09:32 AM IST

The Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) has decided to introduce buses convenient for the elderly and handicapped as well as revamp bus shelters to make the capital's public transport system more commuter-friendly.

'We are making the route plates in Braille for the visually handicapped,' said DTC board secretary Swatantra Dua. The facility, already provided at two bus stops, will soon be extended to the remaining bus shelters.

There are over 2,500 bus stops on the 750 bus routes. The 225 bus stops that DTC plans to set up would have this facility too, Dua said.

'We are trying for a complete makeover of the transport system before the Commonwealth Games begin so that Delhi can be transformed into a world city by 2010,' she said.

'We have decided to place an order for 625 low-floor buses so that handicapped people and elderly citizens would not have any difficulty in getting on to the bus.'

The footrest of the bus would be the same height as the bus stop. 'It is being done for easy access for commuters and people in wheelchairs,' she added.

'We have taken the help of a foreign company to design and build these bus stops,' Dua said.

She added that a portion of the bus shelter would be reserved for wheelchairs to provide a preferential seating chair for the handicapped.

'The new bus stop design will have better seats and be designed in a way to accommodate more people,' added Dua.

The floor of the bus shelter would be of a tactile design so that the visually challenged can guess their footing on the bus stop.

The DTC was also considering proposals to set up phone booths, drinking water facilities and Internet at stops so that people could make use of them while waiting for their bus.

However, she added, 'We have not reached a decision on these proposals yet.'

(Staff Writer, © IANS)