From yanivbin at gmail.com Fri Aug 17 13:30:03 2018 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2018 10:00:03 +0530 Subject: [sustran] =?utf-8?Q?Why_Bengaluru=E2=80=99s_Bus_System_Is_India?= =?utf-8?Q?=E2=80=99s_Best_And_Loses_Least_Money?= Message-ID: http://www.indiaspend.com/cover-story/why-bengalurus-bus-system-is-indias-best-and-loses-least-money-91127 Why Bengaluru?s Bus System Is India?s Best And Loses Least MoneySravan Pallapothu, August 17, 2018 [image: BMTC_620] *Mumbai*: Bengaluru is India?s third most-populous city, but its bus system is not only India?s largest with 6,448 buses (in 2015-16), it also lost the least money (Rs 101 crore) over six years to 2016 among eight metropolitan bus systems, according to an *IndiaSpend *analysis of transit data . Buses tend to be the mass transit option of choice for a city?s poorest inhabitants. For instance, the cheapest bus ticket in Delhi is Rs 5 for non AC buses and Rs 10 for AC buses, according to the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) website , compared to Rs 10 for the cheapest metro ticket ; in Bengaluru, the minimum fare on the metro is Rs 10, compared to Rs 5 for the bus (general service ). Managed better than its metropolitan counterparts, the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) lost money in 2013-14 and 2014-15, the only Indian metropolitan bus-transit system to make profits over the six years we considered. Mumbai?s Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) with 4,094 buses and Delhi?s DTC with 4,564 buses, in 2015-16, made the largest net losses over six years to 2016: Rs 4,037 crore and Rs 14,950 crore, respectively. Cumulative losses of Mumbai?s BEST and Delhi?s DTC are enough to buy 34,521 low-floor buses of the kind the DTC uses (each bus costs Rs 55 lakh) or 30,138 Certia buses, a model operated by the BEST, Rs 63 lakh each (at 2007-08 prices). On average, between 2010 and 2016, the BMTC spent 35% of its budget on fuel, compared to 19% in Mumbai and 11% in Delhi, indicating that it was using its money on its core function?keeping buses running; of the eight metropolitan bus-transit systems, BMTC used its fleet best with 91% of the buses in use across the six years. Chennai?s public bus system, the Metro Chennai Transport Corporation Limited, was next in spending the largest proportion of its budget (29%) on fuel, also indicating that it was better at keeping its buses on the road than the other six metropolitan systems. Chennai?s average fleet utilisation rate was 86%, behind Bengaluru (91%) and Chandigarh (89%). Chennai and Bengaluru also reported the best fuel efficiency (4.7 km/litre and 3.9 km/litre, respectively). This could perhaps explain why they are more profitable than others despite the cost of fuel, which tends to be higher in the south than the north. *Bengaluru depends on buses* With 8.4 million people living over 709 sq km, Bengaluru still depends overwhelmingly on its buses, although some pressure has been relieved by a seven-year-old 41-station, two line 42.3-km metro-rail system. In 2015-16, the metro carried 16.8 million people?about 46,000 people a day?whereas the BMTC carried 144 million?about 365,000 a day?almost eight times more, that year. Mumbai?s 12.4 million people?more than 20 million in the larger urban agglomeration, some of which are independent municipal corporations, such as Thane and Navi Mumbai?live across 4,355 sq km (Greater Mumbai, including Thane and Navi Mumbai) and depend primarily on a 135-station, 465-km suburban commuter-rail system, supplemented by a four-year-old 12-station, 11.4-km metro rail line; four more metro lines are under construction. The city?s suburban lines carry close to 8 million passengers every day, compared to the BEST, which carried 1.06 million, according to 2015-16 government data. The only working metro line carried 335,000 passengers every day in 2017-18. Delhi?s 11 million people?16.3 million in the National Capital Territory, which sprawls across 1,484 sq km?rely on a 16-year-old, 214-station, 296-km metro network with six fully operational and two partially operational lines. In 2015-16, the Delhi metro ferried around 2.6 million passengers whereas the DTC ferried around 3 million passengers per day Bus Transit Services Across Select Indian Cities: A Comparison Bus Operators Population, 2011 census (in million) Population, of Urban Agglomeration, 2011 (in million) Cumulative Net Profit After Tax Between 2010-16 (in crore of rupees) Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service (AMTS) 5.6 6.3 -228568 Brihanmumbai Electrical Supply & Transport Undertaking (BEST) 12.4 18.3 -403748 Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation 8.4 8.5 -10187 Calcutta State Transport Corporation (CSTC) 4.5 14 -96062 Chandigarh Transport Corporation (BMTC) 0.96 1 -26498 Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) 11 16.3 -1495005 Metro Chennai Transport Corporation (MCTC) 4.6 8.7 -114436 Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal (PMPML) 3.1 5 -51047 Source: Review of the performance of state road transport undertakings, ministry of road transport and highways *Where do bus-transit systems spend their money?* We found that the biggest contributors to bus-transit system?s costs were staff and fuel/lubricant-related expenditure?ranging, on average, from 27-61% and 13-27%, respectively, between 2010-16. Despite being the least profitable system, the DTC, on average, had the lowest percentage of staff costs as well as the lowest percentage of fuel/ lubricant costs, 27.78% and 10.32%, respectively Source: Review of the performance of state road transport undertakings, ministry of road transport and highways BEST and the Calcutta State Transport Corporation (CSTC) had the highest proportion of staff costs?60% and 62% respectively?whereas, on average, BMTC and MCTC had the highest proportion of fuel costs? 35% and 28%?respectively. In 2015-16, BEST was the second-largest employer with 35,705 employees (after BMTC with 36,474); the CSTC stood at 7th with 4,998 employed. However, in 2015-16, BEST and DTC had higher staff costs?Rs 1,689 crore and Rs 1,475 crore, respectively?than BMTC (Rs 1,096 crore), even though BMTC employed 769 more people than BEST and 3,610 more than DTC. This could indicate that the DTC (established in 1948) and BEST (established in 1947) are facing legacy costs, as they are almost 70 years old; BMTC (established in 1997) is 20 years old, in its current avataar (its forerunner, the Bangalore Transport Service, started operations in 1962 after the nationalisation of the Bangalore Transport Corporation, which had been running buses since 1940). Source: Review of the performance of state road transport undertakings, ministry of road transport and highways Mumbai?s overstaffed BEST decided in December 2017 to scrap 4,894 posts of conductors, bus drivers, mechanics and cleaners to cut staff costs and dispense with redundant posts. BEST employed 34,174 people in 2015-16, second only to BMTC that employed 35,554 people over the same year but with 2,354 more buses. *DTC is the biggest borrower* The DTC may save on fuel and staff?fuel saving, as we said, is not an indicator of efficiency?but it more than compensates through spending the largest proportion of its budget on interest payments, an indication that it borrows money to keep running. Over the six years to 2016, the DTC?s interest payments as a percentage of its expenditure ranged from 46% to 74%, compared to single digits for other bus-transit system. The DTC has been subsidised by the Delhi government for 20 years with its last-known cumulative debt at Rs 11,676 crore for the financial year 2014-15, according to a 2016 Comptroller Auditor General (CAG) report . DTC?s revenue the same year was Rs 1,113 crore, approximately 10% of its debt. ?Despite getting bailout packages since 1996, DTC is unable to repay its debts,? Amit Bhatt, director of Integrated Urban Transport, at the World Resources Institute, a think-tank , told the *Hindustan Times* in October 2017. ?An alternative source of finance needs to be found (for the DTC).? Source: Review of the performance of state road transport undertakings, ministry of road transport and highways *The need to increase fares and rationalise routes* Buses are, as we said, the transit system of choice for the poorest commuters in Indian cities, but the losses they incur stem from a failure to raise fares. In Delhi, for instance, the fare is supposed to be revised twice a year in line with the consumer price index, but that is often delayed due to political pressures . DTC had the lowest fares among all metropolitan bus transit services, with tickets starting from Rs 5. The DTC last witnessed a fare hike in 2009, the cost of the cheapest ticket rising from Rs 3 for the first 4 km to Rs 5 for the first 3 km. This hike came at time when the cost of compressed natural gas (CNG) was Rs 19 per kg and outstanding debt was Rs 6,500 crore. The CNG price was Rs 42 per kg in May 2018. In other words, DTC ticket prices rose 166% from while fuel costs rose 221% in nine years. The Delhi metro, in comparison, witnessed two fare hikes in 2017 itself. In Mumbai, none of the BEST?s 18 new routes since 2013 make profits and accumulated Rs 52 crore in losses over five years to 2018, the *DNA * reported on June 15, 2018. Bus-transit systems also require periodic ?route rationalisation?, the process of reassessing routes and stops. The DTC?s last route-rationalisation study was nine years ago in 2009. Since then, new roads and routes have been added, so the lack of reassessing routes pushes up costs and requires fare hikes. Many routes are not inherently profit-making, since they are supposed to serve underserved communities but as BMTC?s example shows, laying out a route that covers both profitable and unprofitable areas can make a difference. ?Some (BMTC) routes even go as far as connecting peri urban areas and adjoining suburbs; something which BEST could not do,? Madhav Pai, India Director for the Ross Centre for Sustainable Cities, a think-tank told *IndiaSpend*, because Thane and Navi Mumbai have their own bus services. *How BMTC does better than the rest* ?BMTC is a more modern organisation and has fewer legacy costs to deal with, as opposed to BEST and DTC, which have been around for decades,? said Pai. BMTC has ?superior marketing and supply chain strategies? than the other seven bus-transit systems in our analysis, said the Ross Centre?s Pai. For instance, its depots offer advertising and its top-end buses are brought in cheaper, bulk rates from Swedish bus-maker Volvo, which has a factory outside Bengaluru. ?Furthermore BMTC has low staff costs because a lot of work is outsourced, which means that there is less scope for redundant labour,? said Pai. ?Another area BMTC really stood out was depots; they are in accessible locations with more facilities, such as rest houses for drivers.? The DTC also wants more depot space to acquire more CNG buses but is unable to do so due to a lack of land adds Pai Delhi needs 460 acres of land to accommodate its 5,583 buses but no more than 257 acres are available, according to a May 2016 environment pollution control authority report . *(**Pallapothu**, an Msc student at the Symbiosis School of Economics, Pune, is an intern with IndiaSpend.)* *We welcome feedback. Please write to respond@indiaspend.org . We reserve the right to edit responses for language and grammar.* From litman at vtpi.org Fri Aug 24 03:51:15 2018 From: litman at vtpi.org (Todd Litman) Date: Thu, 23 Aug 2018 11:51:15 -0700 Subject: [sustran] VTPI News - Summer 2018 Message-ID: <02ca01d43b12$919e2e60$b4da8b20$@vtpi.org> ----------- VTPI NEWS ----------- Victoria Transport Policy Institute "Efficiency - Equity - Clarity" ------------------------------------- Summer 2018 Vol. 18, No. 3 ----------------------------------- The Victoria Transport Policy Institute is an independent research organization dedicated to developing innovative solutions to transportation problems. The VTPI website (www.vtpi.org ) has many resources addressing a wide range of transport planning and policy issues. VTPI also provides consulting services. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NEW VTPI REPORTS =================== "Rural Multimodal Planning. Why and How to Improve Travel Options in Small Towns and Rural Communities" (www.vtpi.org/rmp.pdf ). Multimodal planning creates communities where it is possible to get around by walking, bicycling and public transport. This provides various direct and indirect benefits to individuals and communities. This report explores why and how to implement more multimodal planning in rural areas and small towns. Current trends are increasing demand for non-auto travel options in rural communities, including aging populations, rising poverty, growing health and safety concerns, and growing tourist industries. Various strategies can help rural communities improve and connect walking, cycling, public transport, including innovative facilities and services, and Smart Growth development policies. New planning resources described in this report can help rural communities and small towns develop integrated multimodal plans and programs. "PAYD: The Best Transportation Policy Reform You?ve Probably Never Heard Of" (https://paydinbc.ca ). 'Pay-As-You-Drive' (PAYD, also known as 'distance-based' and 'usage-based') vehicle insurance means that premiums are based directly on the amount a vehicle is driven during the policy term, so the more you drive the more you pay and the less you drive the more you save. This can significantly increase fairness, affordability and traffic safety, and reduces traffic congestion and pollution emissions (https://bit.ly/2wnCiEi ). This new website describes why and how to implement PAYD insurance in British Columbia. "A 1.5% Neighborhood Solution to Inaffordability" (https://bit.ly/2LmLluC ). This report proposes specific housing growth targets for Victoria, BC neighborhoods. Victoria?s population currently grows about 1.5% annually; to become more affordable and diverse we must increase our housing supply faster than that. A reasonable target is for residential neighborhoods to increase housing supply at least 1.5% annually. Most of these new houses should be moderately priced ($300,000-600,000), so they are initially affordable to middle-income households and becomes affordable to the lower-income households as they depreciate. For more information see the "Victoria Affordability Backgrounder" (https://bit.ly/2MxYkiA ), this 'Times Colonist' newspaper article (https://bit.ly/2KXWDcw ), and hear this CBC radio interview (https://bit.ly/2NeVZVM ). * * * * * PUBLISHED & PRESENTED ELSEWHERE ================================ "Multimodal Urban Transport: Todd Litman Explains How and Why" (https://www.reinventingtransport.org/2018/07/todd-litman.html ). Reinventing Transportation podcast interview by Paul Barter. "A New Traffic Safety Paradigm" (http://www.vtpi.org/ntsp.pdf ), summarized in 'Transportation Talk', Canadian Institute of Transportation Engineers Quarterly Newsletter ((https://issuu.com/cite7/docs/tt39.4-winter201718 ) and presented at the June 11 Canadian Association of Road Safety Professionals annual meeting (https://bit.ly/2wlZbI3 ). Despite large traffic safety program investments, crash casualty rates have ended their long-term decline and recently started to increase. New strategies are needed to achieve ambitious traffic safety targets such as Vision Zero. Recent research improves our understanding of transportation and land use factors that affect traffic risks, and therefore identifies additional traffic safety strategies. Applying this knowledge requires a paradigm shift. The new paradigm recognizes that all vehicle travel imposes risks, and so supports vehicle travel reduction strategies such as more multimodal planning, efficient transport pricing, Smart Growth development policies, and other Transportation Demand Management strategies. Many of these strategies provide significant co-benefits, in addition to safety. "Everybody Wins! Sustainable Community Planning: Telling the Story," Climate Report podcast (https://bit.ly/2k4lHPV ) and slideshow (www.vtpi.org/EverybodyWins ) of Todd Litman?s May 10 Sacramento 350 presentation. It discussed economic, social and environmental benefits of creating more affordable housing in walkable urban neighborhoods, and how to build public support for those reforms. "Would a 'Pay-As-You-Drive' Insurance Model Work in B.C.?" (https://bit.ly/2PzdMsu ), by News 1130. "Current insurance premiums are like an all-you-can-eat restaurant pricing. The per-kilometre rate incorporates all existing rating factors," explains Todd Litman in this article. "Is Public Transportation a Human Right? How to Fill Greyhound?s Gap" (https://bit.ly/2LfTfK9 ), by Jane Gerster in 'Global News.' Greyhound buses will cease operations in Western Canada. Todd Litman describes various transit options that are working in smaller communities, based on his report "Public Transportation's Impact on Rural and Small Towns" (http://www.apta.com/rural ) "A Conceptual Framework to Formulate Transportation Network Design Problem Considering Social Equity Criteria" (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2018.04.005 ), by Hamid Behbahani, Sobhan Nazari, Masood Jafari Kang and Todd Litman, published in 'Transportation Research Part A.' This study suggests ways of incorporating social equity measures in transportation network planning. It describes various equity impacts that can result from transportation planning decisions, discusses various social equity concepts and theories, reviews previous attempts to incorporate equity considerations into transport networks modeling, and suggests a framework for simultaneously optimizing network design and achieving social equity objectives. The proposed framework can be used to evaluate and optimize the equity impacts of various infrastructure investment decisions. Recent Planetizen Blogs (www.planetizen.com/blog/2394 ): "Affordability Trade-offs" (https://www.planetizen.com/blogs/99920 ). Strategies for increasing affordability often involved trade-offs between various goals and impacts. It is important to consider all of these factors when evaluating potential solutions to unaffordability. "Parking Planning Paradigm Shift" (https://www.planetizen.com/blogs/99462 ). More efficient parking management can benefit everybody, including motorists, businesses, residents, and any planner who becomes an expert on this subject, as I can report from experience. "Understanding Location-Efficient Affordability Impacts" (https://www.planetizen.com/blogs/98443 ). A recent study suggests that families save little by moving to location-efficient neighborhoods. There are good reasons to be skeptical of that conclusion. Let?s be friends. Todd Litman regularly posts on his Facebook page (www.facebook.com/todd.litman ). Befriend him now! * * * * * BRITISH COLUMBIA PAYD ACTION ALERTS (https://paydinbc.ca ) ====================================================== 'Pay-As-You-Drive' (PAYD) vehicle insurance can significantly increase fairness, affordability, traffic safety and environmental quality. It is particularly appropriate in British Columbia because our public insurance agency, the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC), has a monopoly on basic vehicle insurance in order to maximize social benefits. ICBC recently submitted a rate change proposal to the BC Utility Commission (https://bit.ly/2OX5PMq ), which does not include PAYD pricing. We hope to change that. VTPI has applied to be an intervener in this process (bit.ly/2NcmbjN). Please contact Todd Litman (litman@vtpi.org) if you or your organization wants to get involved, so we can collaborate on this important opportunity. The deadline for applying is Friday, August 24th. In addition, the provincial government recently released a set of "Climate Solutions and Clean Growth Intentions Papers" (bit.ly/2o2emTa), including one on "Clean Transportation" (bit.ly/2nZvSal) which ignores PAYD and other pricing reforms. Here is a letter from VTPI concerning this paper: https://bit.ly/2o85oUt. Individuals and organizations who wish to send additional information can email submissions to clean.growth@gov.bc.ca by Friday, August 24. * * * * * UPCOMING EVENTS ======================= "Panel on Transportation, Land Use, Climate Change and Health," at the Global Climate and Health Forum, September 12, University of California, Mission Bay Campus, San Francisco. Organized by the US Climate and Health Alliance (http://usclimateandhealthalliance.org ). "Alternative Urbanisms in the City of Victoria," City Talks Panel (http://www.thecitytalks.ca/lectures.php ), September 20. Keynote Presentation, Oregon Public Transportation Conference (https://oregontransit.com/OPTC_Conference ), Bend, October 29. * * * * * USEFUL RESOURCES ================= "Automobile Dependency as a Barrier to Vision Zero: Evidence from the States in the USA" (https://bit.ly/2IMCfdc ), by Hamed Ahangari, Carol Atkinson-Palombo and Norman Garrick (2017), published in 'Accident Analysis and Prevention.' Uses U.S. state-level data to evaluate factors that influence traffic risk. Finds that Vehicles per Capita and Vehicle Miles Traveled have the strongest impact on traffic fatality rates. Higher urban densities and more walking are also associated with lower traffic fatality rates. This is consistent with my analysis in, "A New Traffic Safety Paradigm" (www.vtpi.org/ntsp ). "The Economic and Social Benefits of Low-Carbon Cities: A Systematic Review of the Evidence" (https://bit.ly/2MQraWV ), for the Coalition for Urban Transitions. This report examines the economic case for climate action through more resource-efficient urban planning, particularly in developing countries. This systematic review clearly shows that low-carbon measures can help to achieve a range of development priorities, such as job creation, improved safety and public health, social inclusion, and improved accessibility. "Up For Growth" (https://www.upforgrowth.org ) is a diverse coalition of advocates for policies to enable more affordable infill housing in walkable and transit-oriented communities. Their email newsletter provides excellent information on affordable development policy. "Associations between Urban Sprawl and Life Expectancy in the United States" (https://bit.ly/2Ni4L5i ) by Shima Hamidi, et al., published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. This study used cross-sectional to evaluate the associations between sprawl and life expectancy for metropolitan counties in the United States in 2010. After controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, this study found that life expectancy was significantly higher in compact counties than in sprawling counties. "Inclusive Health Places: A Guide to Inclusion & Health in Public Space. Learning Globally to Transform Locally" (https://bit.ly/2NdmmLS ), by Gehl Associates. This report describes the Inclusive Healthy Places Framework, a tool for evaluating and creating inclusive, healthy public places that support health equity. "Equity & Mobility" (https://bit.ly/2MtaBEB ). Engineer Ryan Martinson uses his cartooning skills to explore why and how to better incorporate social equity goals into transportation planning, a 12-page comic article published in the Summer issue of "Transportation Talk," the Canadian Institute of Transportation Engineer's quarterly newsletter. Quantified Parking: Comprehensive Parking Inventories for Five U.S. Cities (https://bit.ly/2LfNk4o) by Eric Scharnhorst, for the Mortgage Bankers Association. This study used various data sources to develop comprehensive parking inventories for the cities of New York, Philadelphia, Seattle, Des Moines, and Jackson, Wyoming. The results indicate that these cities have abundant parking supply: parking spaces outnumber homes in all cities except New York, and impose large economic costs. The 1.6 million parking spaces in Seattle?s inventory have an estimated value of $35.8 billion, which is $118,000 per Seattle household. Jackson?s 100,000 parking spaces have an estimated value of $711 million, or $192,000 per household. The per-household costs of parking in Des Moines and Philadelphia is $77,000 and $30,000 respectively. This indicates that in typical urban areas there are more than three off-street parking spaces per vehicle (one residential and two non-residential), with fewer spaces per capita in areas where parking is shared, and higher in suburban and rural areas where each destination supplies all its own parking. "Strategically Planning for Parking: An Inquiry into Parking Requirements for Laneway Houses in Vancouver" (https://bit.ly/2Pvc1we ) by Alexander J?rgen Thumm. This master?s thesis investigates the justifications and impacts of residential parking requirements. It recommends more data and transparency in the translation of strategic policy into regulatory policy "Uber Economics: Evaluating the Monetary and Nonmonetary Trade-offs of TNC and Transit Service in Chicago, Illinois" (https://bit.ly/2KpCITA ), by Joseph Schwieterman and Mallory Livingston. This study compared time and monetary costs of Transportation Network Companies (TNC, such as Uber and Lyft) to estimate travellers willingness-to-pay for travel time savings. They found that the average TNC trip costs more than $50 per hour saved, with higher TNC travel rates when public transit conditions are poor (difficult to access, crowded, etc.), indicating that travel conditions affect travellers willingness to pay for time savings. "The Impact of Mobility on Apartment Rents" (https://bit.ly/2w4DfEz ). There is a long history of research concerning the price premium that households will pay to live near high quality public transit (www.vtpi.org/smith.pdf ). This study expands that to include ride-hailing, bike- and car-sharing. The graphs are great! "People Who Bike to Work Live Longer Than People Who Drive" (https://bit.ly/2MqMBSN ) by Angie Schmitt. A high quality study recently published in the British Medical Journal found that, controlling for other factors, overall mortality among bike commuters is significantly lower than among people who don?t bike or walk to work. "Getting the Bill Right," (https://bit.ly/2HKEmcM ) by Transform Scotland, Scotland's sustainable transportation advocacy organization, recommends various reforms to encourage more efficient transport including allowing local governments to introduce private non-residential parking levies, improved bus and cycle lane enforcement, and a nationwide smart ticketing scheme. "Carbon Footprint Planning: Quantifying Local and State Mitigation Opportunities for 700 California Cities" (https://bit.ly/2MOwFsI ), by Christopher M. Jones, Stephen M. Wheeler and Daniel M. Kammen, published in ?Urban Planning. This study quantifies the potential of local policies and programs to meet aggressive GHG reduction targets using a consumption-based, high geospatial resolution planning model for the state of California. It found that roughly 35% of all carbon footprint abatement potential statewide is from activities within local government control. "Toward Zero Parking: Challenging Conventional Wisdom for Multifamily" (https://bit.ly/2IRcuV7 ), by David Baker and Brad Leibin, published in Urban Land. Describes current trends that are reducing demand for parking in multifamily housing, and how to respond to those changes. "Inequity in Transportation" (www.inequalityintransport.org.uk ). Everyone needs transport to move around and to access everyday needs, but for each individual those needs are different, and they change over time and space: herein lie the seeds of inequalities in transport. This new book by Oxford Professor David Banister uses various methods to evaluate transport inequity. It estimates the nature and scale of transport inequalities in Great Britain, and examines how this impacts people?s quality of life and ability to participate in everyday activities. It also discusses the degree that public investments and subsidies in transport are fair in terms of who are the beneficiaries, and it then outlines the means by which inequalities can be reduced. "When Transportation Falls Off the Road-Length Cliff" (https://bit.ly/2MrQZAN ). Provides fascinating graphical analysis of how street design affects travel activity and health risks, and ways to create more efficient and healthy communities. "The Effects of Long Commutes and What To Do About Them: An Annotated Bibliography" (https://bit.ly/2Ptvo94 ), by CloseCommute Systems. This report summarizes research on the costs of long-distance commutes and possible ways to reduce these by giving workers of multi-location employers more ability to choose closer worksites. "Cycling Works: Jobs and Job Creation in the European Cycling Economy" (https://bit.ly/2OYsUOL) found that 650,000 jobs are linked to cycling in the EU as a whole already today and that more than 400,000 new jobs could be created if the modal share of cycling doubled. This adds to a growing body of research on the economic benefits of cycling. * * * * * Please let us know if you have comments or questions about any information in this newsletter, or if you would like to be removed from our email list. And please pass this newsletter on to others who may find it useful. Sincerely, Todd Litman (litman@vtpi.org) Victoria Transport Policy Institute (www.vtpi.org) Office: 250-360-1560 | Mobile: 250-508-5150 1250 Rudlin Street, Victoria, BC, V8V 3R7, CANADA Efficiency - Equity - Clarity Sincerely, Todd Litman (litman@vtpi.org) Victoria Transport Policy Institute (www.vtpi.org) Office: 250-360-1560 | Mobile: 250-508-5150 1250 Rudlin Street, Victoria, BC, V8V 3R7, CANADA Efficiency - Equity - Clarity From yanivbin at gmail.com Sun Aug 26 17:24:25 2018 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Sun, 26 Aug 2018 13:54:25 +0530 Subject: [sustran] =?utf-8?Q?=E2=80=98A_service=2C_not_an_enterprise?= =?utf-8?Q?=E2=80=99=3A_Privatising_Mumbai=E2=80=99s_BEST_buses_mea?= =?utf-8?Q?ns_unraveling_a_system_that_works?= Message-ID: https://scroll.in/article/889584/a-service-not-an-enterprise-privatising-mumbais-best-buses-means-unraveling-a-system-that-works ?A service, not an enterprise?: Privatising Mumbai?s BEST buses means unraveling a system that worksProtests against the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation?s privatisation plans are growing.[image: ?A service, not an enterprise?: Privatising Mumbai?s BEST buses means unraveling a system that works]Punit Paranjpe/AFP Aug 21, 2018 ? 08:00 am Shilpa Phadke - Share - Tweet - Email - Reddit - Print - Share - Tweet - Email - Reddit - Print Sometime in the mid-1980s: the bus was full of chattering children in school uniforms. Conductor uncle was indulgent, yet firm. But this was not a school bus, though it looked like one. It was a BEST (Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport) bus and all of us were certain it belonged to us. In July, a thread of tweets with the hashtag #BESTStories invoked nostalgia with citizens of Mumbai and elsewhere talking about routes they took as children, about friendships, blossoming and failed romances that marked these bus rides, about sitting on the front seat on top of a double-decker bus, but most of all about the freedom, mobility and fun the BEST buses facilitated. Uma Asher@StirredOrShaken ? Jul 3, 2018 Lovely thread on Bombay, Mumbai, public transportation, buses, stories, women, friends, joy [image: ??][image: ??][image: ??]#SaveBEST #BESTStories #WhyLoiter #publictransport #bus #commuterlife #commute #joy https:// twitter.com/whyloiter/status/1013738781218934784 ? Sameera Khan@samjourno123 Recollecting #BESTJourneys brings back many other memories & thots - of bus friendships, nods shared with regular commuters, familiarity with conductor on daily route, joy of bagging front seat on upper deck, those bus rides of yr youth when you first tasted freedom # SaveBEST 2:44 PM - Jul 3, 2018 - 2 - See Sameera Khan's other Tweets Twitter Ads info and privacy Aditya Mandrekar@aditya_rm ? Jul 4, 2018 Earliest memories of BEST travel: taking the 67 to Grant road to catch my school bus to go to kindergarten much further away. Memories of indulgent conductors who would give me addition/subtraction problems to solve on blank ticket paper. #BESTStories #SaveBEST Aditya Mandrekar@aditya_rm The other memory I have is, age 11 when my cousin (12) and I would go for cricket practice to Marine drive. Each would get ?1 from parents towards bus tickets. Couple of kids traveling alone without fear! #BESTStories #SaveBEST @whyloiter 6:58 PM - Jul 4, 2018 - 2 - See Aditya Mandrekar's other Tweets Twitter Ads info and privacy Research conducted by the Gender and Space project, of which I was a part, between 2003 and 2006 on women?s access to public spaces in Mumbai, published in the book *Why Loiter?* , demonstrated unequivocally that public transport ? the city?s network of BEST buses, suburban trains and the links between the two ? made Mumbai the friendliest, most accessible city in the country for women. A decade later, we are seeing the gradual erosion of BEST services and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation?s articulation of its intent to hand over operations to private agencies and sell bus depots to real estate developers. In short, to unravel a system that works, and works brilliantly. antara ganguli@antaraganguli #BEST buses helped me get to where I am today but since I had access to pvt transport, I would have gotten here anyway. Without BEST buses, many Bombay girls, boys and women will not be able to get to their future at all. #SaveBEST #whyloiter @whyloiter 12:43 PM - Jul 3, 2018 - 4 - See antara ganguli's other Tweets Twitter Ads info and privacy Dot@specofdot Replying to @specofdot and 11 others As a journalism intern in 2010, figuring out the bus routes across the city was what gave comfort. Knowing that no matter what unfamiliar part of the city I landed up in following a story, I can always get on to a BEST and it will take me back to familiarity. #SaveBEST #WhyLoiter 10:09 AM - Jul 3, 2018 - 2 - See Dot's other Tweets Twitter Ads info and privacy Our research also revealed narratives of sexual harassment on BEST buses, yet women in our study reported that they found buses safer than trains because one could get off anywhere. Also, in Mumbai, BEST conductors are more likely to throw sexual harassers off buses than elsewhere in the country. In the 1980s, I recollect being on a bus that was taken to a police station to report a sexual harasser on two occasions. In the weeks following the gangrape and murder of a young woman in an off-duty chartered bus in Delhi in December 2012, one pointed out that such a crime could not take place in a Mumbai bus because the system ensured that BEST buses could not be taken on joyrides*. *Now, it seems we may no longer have a reason to feel so smugly safe since the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is all set to privatise a service that makes access to the city for women possible. Swarna Rajagopalan@swarraj ? Jul 3, 2018 Replying to @DeathEndsFun and 13 others I was just thinking about 106, 104 the buses that wound their way to Kamala Nehru Park. Also a beautiful route although now you can hardly see the sea from the drive. #SaveBEST Swarna Rajagopalan@swarraj #SaveBEST There is also the BEST experience in the age of Walkmans and earphones. When the long bus ride acquired a soundtrack. BEST memory: Discovering Ravel's Bolero on a rainy ride from Bandra to Fountain. 9:59 AM - Jul 3, 2018 - 4 - See Swarna Rajagopalan's other Tweets Twitter Ads info and privacy Saving BEST These plans have been met with protests, which are growing in number. The Aamchi Mumbai Aamchi BEST movement, for instance, has put forward its people?s plan for BEST, which includes demands for subsidised public transport, accessibility and affordability, dis-incentivising private transport, and accountability and consultation in the decision-making process. On Monday, this citizens? platform, along with the Centre for Urban Policy and Governance at the School of Habitat Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, organised a panel discussion titled ?Better than BEST? The Future of Public Transport in Mumbai?. ADVERTISEMENT Speaking of the gendered nature of transport usage at the discussion, feminist activist Sandhya Gokhale pointed out that women in Mahul ? most of them relocated from slums in other parts of the city to make way for infrastructure projects ? are poorly served by BEST. The fare to Kurla, one of the nearest railway stations, is Rs 16, often well beyond their means. Jagnarayan M Gupta, head of the BEST Kamgar Sagathana or workers? union, said a total of 785 buses are detained in depots every day for lack of staff. The numbers tell their own story: 112 routes have been suspended so far, 95 trips have been cancelled since August 2017, increasing the gap between buses on a route, and 230 air-conditioned buses have been ?retired? since April 2017. These cuts have meant reduced wages, lack of bonuses and increasing contractual employment for workers, whose numbers are dwindling. Gupta also pointed out that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, said to be the country?s richest municipal body, does not subsidise BEST. Instead, it loans money to BEST and charges it interest*.* According to transport expert Ashok Datar, there are now more people using various forms of private transport than those using public transport and this does not augur well for any city. He argued that money from parking can and should be used to subsidise BEST. Amita Bhide, professor at the School of Habitat Studies, tied up the arguments succinctly, arguing that public transport is not an enterprise but a service. It must be operated by a public entity in the interest of the public and it must run on public money. Any commitment to a genuine service cannot involve privatisation as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation seems to desire. Bhide said the corporation must recognise that the users of these services are citizens, not consumers. Swarna Rajagopalan@swarraj ? Jul 3, 2018 Replying to @DeathEndsFun and 13 others Yes, I remember those two. Though it was novel to climb to the front of the lower deck, the upper deck was still literally and otherwise cooler, once I got over that fear! Dilip D'Souza@DeathEndsFun On Nepean Sea Road once, I got off at my stop and to impress the young lady I was with, I pulled the cord to ring the bell to get the bus moving again. Irate conductor stopped the bus just ahead, got off and harangued me. Also, she wasn't impressed. #SaveBEST 9:32 AM - Jul 3, 2018 - 6 - See Dilip D'Souza's other Tweets Twitter Ads info and privacy ?It belongs to us, the city?s citizens? In Mumbai, public services are increasingly being privatised or are being built for private uses (such as the construction of a coastal road instead of bailing out BEST and enhancing its services). Healthcare and education, too, are going the privatisation way. The slow dismantling of BEST may just be the proverbial last straw needed to galvanise citizens into action. ADVERTISEMENT Not just the stuff of Mumbai nostalgia, BEST is a living, breathing system that facilitates the livelihoods of the city?s poor, and access and mobility for its women and marginal citizens. We cannot and must not let it unravel. As children in the 1980s, we instinctively understood the principle of a public service, that it belongs to us, the city?s citizens. We must continue to do so. *Shilpa Phadke is co-author of *Why Loiter? Women and Risk on Mumbai Streets *.*