[sustran] Let city bus ride on will & subsidy

Vinay Baindur yanivbin at gmail.com
Wed Sep 10 03:46:44 JST 2014


http://www.telegraphindia.com/1140903/jsp/jharkand/story_18794399.jsp





*Let city bus ride on will & subsidy*

 - Development expert offers feasible routes to public transport revival in
three urban centres
A.S.R.P. MUKESH



A smart city is made of smart people and a smarter administration.



Ranchi’s new-found aspiration to hop on to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s
100-smart-cities bandwagon may seem nothing more than a daydream after its
four-year-old city bus service was grounded on Monday. That the beleaguered
fleet went off road owing to fuel crunch is a classic example of how
unmindful urban planning can mock a citizen’s fundamental right to an
efficient public transport system.

According to the regional director of the Institute for Transportation and
Development Policy (ITDP), Shreya Gadepalli, the biggest deterrent for
public transport efficiency in Jharkhand, particularly its capital city, is
lack of political support.

*“You hear ministers announcing flyovers and monorails in Ranchi. Have you
ever heard anything about a proper bus service or a holistic public
transport? Never,” she said. “Flyovers and monorails — ambitious projects
that feed on subsidies — benefit only a certain section of people, not the
masses who seek affordable transport. The government can rather consider
giving subsidies for the city bus service,” she added.*

ITDP, which works on efficient and environment-friendly transport system
worldwide, did a pre-feasibility report for Ranchi two years ago on the
behalf of the government. The report, submitted to the state urban
development department, is gathering dust.

“We have had so many consultations with various stakeholders here. Everyone
acknowledged problems flagged in our report and also our suggestions, but
till date things haven’t moved. It is nothing but lack of genuine intent at
the highest level,” Gadepalli said.

*On Monday, city buses were grounded in both Ranchi and its ‘mission
cousin’ Dhanbad. The 60-odd fleet joined another 50 city buses in
Jamshedpur, where a petty dispute is holding public transport to ransom for
weeks now.*

A senior Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) official, requesting anonymity,
spilled home truths on why the civic guardian was shying away from city bus
take-over from the Jharkhand Tourism Development Corporation (JTDC).

“The fleet of buses is in pathetic condition. Till the vehicles are
repaired, we aren’t going to run them as our own. The three-month extension
to JTDC is the time offered for the job. As far as an SPV (special purpose
vehicle) is concerned, the government has to take a call,” he said.

The JTDC, on the other hand, is happy playing ‘victim’ of a forced
responsibility, which the state handed over to it through a cabinet
decision in 2010 until permanent arrangements. The blunder was made four
years ago, setting the stage for an unfortunate city bus show.

Can Ranchi’s public transport be improved?

Citing ITDP’s feasibility study, the regional director highlighted that
private cars comprise only 3 per cent of total travel pattern in Ranchi
every day. Auto-rickshaws stand at 40 per cent, two-wheelers at 20 per
cent, cycles at 11 per cent, rickshaws at 3 per cent and buses at one per
cent. The rest 22 per cent travel on foot.

“If you see the pattern, we have never really encouraged buses here while
autos remain the transport lifeline. That is where the administration has
failed. If you dig up records on government spending, you’ll see that not
even one per cent has been spent on buses. In contrast, the government
wants to invest several crores on flyovers and monorail,” she said, adding,
“We suggest a little over 1,000 mini-buses for Ranchi, which automatically
will easy rush.”

But where is the space? Won’t roads choke?

“Ranchi has over 10,000 autos, the major cause of traffic snarls. We
recommend 10 per cent buses, which will offer multiple benefits, by cutting
down on the three-wheeler. As far as livelihood of those associated with
autos is concerned, make them stakeholders in the bus service in the form
of managers, drivers and conductors. For this, a sort of joint venture or
an SPV will be needed. It is very doable when every major city across the
globe is focussing on public transport,” Gadepalli said.

In a final takeaway, the senior ITDP official opposed privatisation of
buses.

“Outsourcing in toto will backfire on public transport. Reason: the
government would then end up becoming only a licensing authority while the
private player will focus solely on profit. It will decide timing and
routes of buses based on profit. In this race for more money, buses may
become a serial killer like in Delhi. So, in a nutshell, it is very
necessary for the government to acknowledge public transport as public
service,” she signed off.


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