[sustran] Auto-rickshaws in Mumbai

[Alan P Howes]

I'm sure this topic must have come up before on the list, but please
forgive me for raising it again.

I have just returned from two weeks in Mumbai, where I am working on a
project to improve the performance of the bus company (BEST).  While
it is not a main focus of our activities, the problem of
auto-rickshaws (autos) was highly apparent.

I don't have the figures to hand, but IIRC Mumbai has one lakh
(1,00,000) autos, and 60,000 taxis.  The autos are banned from
downtown, so are even more concentrated elsewhere. Taxis and autos
together carry about 5% of all person trips, while buses and trains
together carry about 88% (split approx 50/50 between the two modes).

Both taxis and autos seem to have pretty low overall load factors, and
cruise empty a lot of the time - even in peaks.  The 3,000+ buses are
well loaded, and in the peaks are packed.

The autos cause major traffic congestion - they tend to congregate at
transport interchanges, where they seriously impede the flow of buses
(I have photos if anyone is interested!)  It seems obvious to me that
in transport terms the autos are a plain nuisance and should be banned
outright (many of them are 2-stroke, and the pollution is appalling).

BUT, they provide a livelihood for 1,00,000 families - even if the
number of buses had to be increased to cater for the extra passengers
(which is doubtful), they would not soak up a fraction of the jobs -
and BEST already employs more staff per bus than most urban buscos in
India.

So has anyone got any bright suggestions for squaring this circle?

(NB - Mumbai, with a population of 16m, apparently only has 5,00,000
formal jobs - difficult to soak up 1,00,000 guys there.  And also NB -
those commas in numbers are in the right place - for India.)

Regards, Alan
-- 
** Sent from my home email - please reply to alan.howes at cbuchanan.co.uk
** with copy to alan at ourpeagreenboat.co.uk
Alan Howes
Associate Transport Planner
Colin Buchanan and Partners

4 St Colme Street
Edinburgh      EH3 6AA
Scotland
email:  alan.howes at cbuchanan.co.uk
tel:       (0)131 226 4693 (switchboard)
           (0)7952 464335  (mobile)
fax:     (0)131 220 0232
www: http:/www.cbuchanan.co.uk/
_______________________________
This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. Unless you are the named addressee, or authorised to receive it for the addressee, you may not copy or use it, or disclose it to anyone else. If you have received this email in error please contact the sender by replying to this email. 
Any views expressed by an individual within this email which do not constitute or record professional advice relating to the business of CBP, do not necessarily reflect the views of the company. Any professional advice or opinion contained within this email is subject to our terms and conditions of business.
We have taken precautions to minimise the risk of transmitting software viruses. We cannot accept liability for any loss or damage caused by software viruses.
_______________________________