Unified body needed to make public transport work: Experts
NEWDELHI: Having a single unified accountable body, relying heavily on empirical data and optimising operational transit modes is the key to make public transport work in Delhi, experts said on Tuesday.
Discussing how the national Capital can have an accessible, efficient and sustainable mobility system at the ‘Re-inventing Delhi’ conference organised by the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) and Delhi Development Authority, experts agreed that much of the planning and policymaking in the city “gets lost in translation” owing to the multiplicity of authorities.
“Clarity is important. In London, the mayor is responsible for the entire transportation sector and we report to him every Monday. So, having one authority that is accountable is significant for a city because it ensures timeliness and efficiency,” said Alex Williams, director of City Planning, Transportation for London (TFL).
Contrary to London’s unified structure, Delhi has as many as 11 agencies working on transportation alone, said OP Agarwal, country director and CEO, World Resources Institute, India. “Yet, the city has a bus network that is on a steady decline and is only half the required strength of 11,000. We have 327 km of Metro, of which the busiest lines are those that cater to neighbouring cities – Noida, Ghaziabad and Gurugram. It implies that Metro is being used more as a suburban transit mode rather than an intracity travel option. So, planning Metro routes should also be included in the Master Plan as it unlocks land for urbanisation,” Agarwal said.
Williams said in London, the TFL is incurring losses in operating its 8,000 buses. “About 40% of passengers are using our buses for free. But, we have an integrated-first policy under which we cross-subsidise — the profits earned from our tube service are used to run buses,” he said.
The Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) runs 3,750 buses in the city, which have a daily average ridership of about 35 lakh passengers — nine lakh more than Delhi Metro. Yet, the DTC continues to be the biggest loss-making state road transport unit (SRTU) in India. According to a 2017 report on the performance of SRTUS released by the Union ministry of road transport and highways, the DTC registered losses to the tune of ₹3,411 crore in 2015-16 and ₹2,917 crore in 2014-15.
The TFL City Planning director said, “Evidence-based plans is fundamental. Every year, a ‘London Travel Demand’ survey is conducted to understand people’s transport demands.”
Reacting to the Metro’s expansion within the NCR, Williams said it is important to improve the existing network. “Without building new stations or lines, we increased the Tube’s ridership from 2.5 million a day in 2000 to 5 million a day in 2018. This was achieved by increasing the frequency and carrying capacity of operational trains,” he said.
› In London, the mayor is responsible for the transportation sector. Having one authority that is accountable is significant for a city as it ensures timeliness and efficiency. ALEX WILLIAMS, director of City Planning, Transportation for London