‘Opportunity for India is greater than it is for countries like Britain’

There has been a proliferation of public transport modes in recent years; yet, congestion and vehicle pollution in Indian cities are a concerns for citizens. RICHARD THRELFALL, partner and global head of public transport at consultants KPMG, talks to Megha Manchanda on the challenges India faces in providing quality urban transport services. Edited excerpts:

How soon do you think India would be able to match the seamless urban transport systems of the West? The opportunity for India is greater than for countries like Britain. In urban transport, you are on the cusp of spending billions of rupees on public transport systems, a large part of it on electric vehicles. The other reason why the opportunity for India is so great is that it is densely populated. In Delhi and Mumbai, congestion is a really big challenge. The efficiency of a private car being owned and used is about five per cent; on a rideshare basis, it could be used 30-40 per cent of the time.

Uber’s (the taxi aggregator service’s) licence for working in London has not been renewed over security concerns. Do you think India can have stricter regulations? We are seeing the birth of a new industry. The regulators are struggling to catch up and understand how to deal with it. The world was shocked that Transport for London (the regulatory authority there) was not able to renew Uber’s licence. Personally, I think Uber would continue to operate in London. I think what you are seeing is legitimate negotiation, with the transport authority trying to ensure that transport in London is safe and secure.

Here, the national capital’s mass rapid transport system, Delhi Metro, has seen two back-to-back fare hikes. Are periodic hikes in fare a better solution, so that the price-sensitive Indian commuter is not hurt from a steep rise? No metro (rail) service in the world has been able to recover its capital cost. Governments all over have been subsidising to make these affordable for people. The ability to travel is in the economic good of a country as a whole. It is, therefore, legitimate to spend general tax revenue to redistribute to that taxpayer.

Does India have the eco-system in place for a technology like Hyperloop or, for that matter, even a bullet train?

Absolutely. Studies have been done on the implications of using Hyperloop technology between Delhi and Mumbai. It reduces the travel time between those two cities to 70 minutes. That is the kind of opportunity it creates. There are a number of city pairs in the world where it could be true – Los Angeles and San Francisco, Sydney-Melbourne, etc.

Should India look at investing in the bullet train or should it leapfrog to Hyperloop? If we always wait for new technology, we will never do anything. And, if in due course Hyperloop is proven, you can do something else with it but let’s not hold back the development of India for 10 years in waiting for the future. India is doing the right thing by getting on with it now.

For any new infrastructure project in this country, the biggest bottleneck is land acquisition and subsequent rehabilitation. How can that be addressed? There is a global debate as to where we should invest in our transport system, like a bullet train. In the benefit of the country as a whole, individual businesses and homes are affected because of disproportionate compensation. We should recognise that countries should pay for the sacrifices those individuals and companies are making.

Which is the biggest challenge for urban transportation across the world? Is it the same for India? The biggest challenge is increase in population; there isn’t enough capacity. The cost of bringing people as city boundaries expand is becoming unsustainable. That is the biggest challenge and that is why the technology coming to transport is so exciting and so powerful.