[sustran] Re: Let city bus ride on will & subsidy

Paul Barter paulbarter at reinventingtransport.org
Wed Sep 10 08:28:30 JST 2014


This snippet below from ITDP's Shreya Gadepalli (as cited in the article)
highlights the amazing mode split in smallish Indian cities (Ranchi has
almost 1 million people).

As she says, good bus (or minibus) service obviously has huge potential.

"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."

Wow! Cars only 3% and even motorcycles only 20%! Autorickshaws an
astounding 40%! Yet the authorities want flyovers and monorail.

How can we make well-organized bus/minibus service a more compelling and
implementable idea?

-- 
Paul Barter
www.reinventingparking.org
www.reinventingtransport.org
http://lkyspp.nus.edu.sg/faculty/barter-paul/

On 10 September 2014 02:46, Vinay Baindur <yanivbin at gmail.com> wrote:

> 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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