Recently, news of the retirement of Delhi’s last red CNG low-floor DTC bus reminded me how quickly our city has transformed. For some, an old bus is simply a vehicle reaching the end of its service. For those of us who grew up hanging off the footboards of Old DTC Buses, it brings back a whole universe of shared childhood.
So, come aboard with me. Find a place to stand, hold tight as the bus gathers speed, and travel back to the Delhi of our schooldays. There is no Metro to catch and no GPS to follow. Just an Old DTC Bus, a curious schoolboy, and memories that still make us smile.
Old DTC Buses Memories remind us that before the Delhi Metro changed the way we travelled, these buses were an essential part of everyday life in Delhi. For schoolchildren like me, they were much more than a means of transport. They were moving theatres filled with unexpected encounters, funny arguments, youthful romance, small acts of kindness, and adventures that taught us lessons the classroom never could.
The buses were slow and overcrowded. Sometimes, they seemed to stop for no reason, leaving passengers wondering when they would finally reach their destination. Yet, looking back today, I remember much more than the delays. I remember the conductors, the passengers, the electric rush of catching a moving bus, and the little incidents that stayed with us for decades.
Old DTC Buses Memories: Route 620, Connaught Place, and My ❤️ for Delhi
My School Days & Old DTC Bus Memories — The Little Journeys That Helped Shape Me into a Delhi Tour Guide.
Route 620 from Hauz Khas to Connaught Place opened a whole new world of discovery for me. I loved walking beneath the grand white colonnades, admiring colorful Bollywood posters, exploring Palika Bazaar’s giant video-game machines, tasting street food, and stopping to look at the glamorous posters of Lido cabaret. Every corner offered something new to a curious schoolboy.
I didn’t know then that I was slowly learning to appreciate the many faces of Delhi—not from books, but by wandering through its streets and observing its life. My own memories go back to those schooldays when pure curiosity took us to unexpected places. I never imagined that these ordinary journeys would become the heartbeat of my life story, or that the boy discovering Delhi would one day become a Delhi tour guide, sharing the city’s stories and hidden charms with visitors from around the world
Old DTC Buses Memories: Dodging the TT, a Schoolboy’s Risky Adventure
Among our most mischievous memories was the breathless thrill surrounding the ticket checker, popularly known as the TT.
The moment the checker boarded, the entire atmosphere shifted. Passengers became alert, whispered warnings rippled through the aisles, and anyone travelling without a ticket suddenly faced a serious crisis. In a young boy’s imagination, dodging the TT felt like an action movie—complete with high tension, quick thinking, and a racing heart.
Looking back, we chuckle at our foolish confidence. Travelling without a ticket wasn’t clever; it was just reckless. But it captured the fearless, unscripted spirit of youth, teaching us early on that life is full of unexpected turns.
Old DTC Buses Memories: Boarding from the Front Felt Like Winning a Lottery
Old DTC buses: where the journey was crowded, and some uncles got a little too friendly!
For schoolchildren travelling on Old DTC Buses, the adventure often began before the journey even started. We would approach the driver sahab and plead with our eyes for permission to board from the front.
For one glorious moment, I thought I had won my lottery! Then our eyes met again, and I finally understood that nod wasn’t Yes.
More often than not, we received a stern look and a firm refusal—as if we had asked him to take us to the moon! But on those rare occasions when the driver nodded and let us in, it felt as though we had won the lottery. Boarding from the front meant avoiding the chaotic human crush at the back. It was a tiny victory, but to a schoolboy waiting among impatient commuters, it felt like a royal privilege.
Old DTC Buses Memories: A Girl, a Crowded Bus, and a Curious Smile
The bus was packed to the brim. I was hanging near the door, and somehow managed to squeeze onto the bottom step. A kind soul noticed my struggle and shifted just enough to give me a fraction of space.
Then, the next stop arrived. More passengers surged in, and suddenly I was pressed right against the very girl who had rescued me.
“Please stand properly,” she whispered, her voice barely cutting through the roar of the engine.
The bus hit a pothole, the crowd swayed, and she looked straight into my eyes.
“Do you travel by this bus daily?”
At that age, how was a schoolboy supposed to ever forget a smile like that? ❤️
Old DTC Buses Memories: Skipping School, Route 502/503, and the Roots of My Tours
To escape the watchful eyes of neighbors and teachers, I’d sometimes trade my school blazer or hide my crest before heading out. I’d catch Route 502 or 503 from Hauz Khas on those Old DTC Buses, riding all the way to Chandni Chowk.
Wandering past the Red Fort and deep into the old bazaars, I lost myself in the timeless chaos and charm of the city. Today, when I lead travelers on heritage walks through those very same alleys, they often wonder why I tell these stories with such fierce passion. They don’t know that every lane is just a runaway schoolboy reliving his favorite adventures.
Old DTC Buses Memories: A One-Legged Balancing and Unwanted Uncle Hugs
In a crowded old DTC bus, when both my legs struggled for togetherness, one uncle found an excuse for a hug!
The atmosphere inside Old DTC Buses was a chaotic dance of resilience and discomfort, where every inch of space was fiercely contested. I vividly remember the struggle of boarding and squeezing into the crowded bus. Often, I found myself balancing on one leg, my body pressed against the window, with barely enough room to stand.
In those days, people sometimes called a boy like me a “Beta Ji”—a gentle, somewhat girly tone. On my daily DTC bus journeys, some uncles seemed to take the crowded conditions as an opportunity to get unusually close and show me a special fondness.
The discomfort was amplified by the constant jostling, especially when an uncle standing behind me seemed determined to take my body into his custody. With so little space and so many people pressing together, I often felt powerless to express my discomfort. Anyone who travelled on those packed afternoon routes will recognize the struggle for balance—and the awkwardness that sometimes came with it.
Old DTC Buses Memories: The ₹12.50 Pink Student Pass, Our Ticket to Freedom
If you grew up riding Old DTC Buses, you carried the pride of the student pass like a royal identity card.
Getting it was an ordeal of its own—collecting signatures from the class teacher and principal as if gathering celebrity autographs. But once that little pink pass was safely in our pocket, we felt ready to conquer Delhi. It gave us independence, a taste of adulthood, and the sweet hope of making an impression on our peers. It was our first small step into a wider world.
Old DTC Buses Memories: Airport Escapades, Roaring Engines, and a Lost Wallet
Whenever I managed to skip school, my wanderlust didn’t just stop at the old city—it often pulled me all the way to the airport. Standing there, listening to announcements of distant international cities felt as sacred as morning school prayers. The sight of beautiful duty-free shops and the soul-stirring, roaring sounds of Tupolev TU-154s, buzzing Dorniers, and classic Boeings completely captured my imagination.
But every grand adventure came with a reality check. On one such trip back from the airport, I boarded an Old DTC Bus heading toward Moti Bagh, only to discover a harsh reality in the crushing crowd: my wallet had vanished. With not a single rupee left, I had no choice but to walk the entire, exhausting way back from Moti Bagh to Hauz Khas. It was a tough lesson in staying alert, but looking back, that long, lonely walk home remains one of life’s most unforgettable milestones—proving that the hardest journeys often teach us the most.
Old DTC Bus Memories: Bus 764 took me on an adventure to explore a dusty desert called Papankalan. One uncle offered to close my window—and seemed to show more strength on me than on the stubborn latch! Today, it’s Dwarka, packed with high-rises. Who would believe it was once a desert?
Old DTC Buses Memories: Slogans and Time Capsules on the Walls
The old DTC buses had a language of their own painted across their panels. Family-planning slogans like “Hum Do, Hamare Do,” warnings against pickpockets, and bold instructions not to put hands out of the window surrounded us daily.
For a curious schoolboy, those faded notices were part of the moving theatre of Delhi. They remind us today that nostalgia isn’t just about the vehicle itself, but the entire sensory world we grew up in.
Do You Remember Delhi’s Old DTC Buses?
Drenched Old DTC Buses memories of a thunder showers, standing in the middle but not a single soul offered me a seat!
If you grew up in Delhi before the Metro changed our lives, I know these memories touched a chord in you, too. Whether you shared these stories on neighborhood Facebook groups or whispered them with old friends over chai, those journeys shaped who we are.
Do you remember the conductors clicking their ticket machines, the long waits at dusty bus stops, or the faces that made your heart skip a beat? Share your stories in the comments below. Let’s bring those wonderful old days back, one shared memory at a time.
For More Details Delhi Transport Corporation see: WKI
