- India only has around 25,000 operational buses, currently.
- The study found out that Delhi with an average daily ridership of 4.3 million will require 14,300 buses, wherein the total bus fleet is 5,576.
- For many Indians, buying a car isn’t the option, and there must be a ramping up of
public transportation infrastructure , said Khosla.
The study conducted in line with Mumbai specific norms of only allowing only 30 passengers per
“The disparity in the existing bus fleet in India vs required is enormous. The bus system is the backbone of mass transit, especially now when we are also expected to follow the social distancing norm, there is an immediate need to amplify the numbers of buses,” said Aarti Khosla, director, Climate Trends.
According to the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), around 20% of urban commuters are dependent on public transport in cities like Delhi and Mumbai. The study found out that Delhi with an average daily ridership of 4.3 million will require at least 14,300 buses, wherein the national capital’s total bus fleet is 5,576.
“COVID-19 provides Indian cities with an opportunity to transform their public transport services by improving user experience through technology, investing in public transport as a social good, reforming informal transit services, and promoting walking and cycling for shorter trips,” said Shreya Gadepalli, South Asia programme lead, ITDP.
Social distancing is the backbone in the times of coronavirus.
As the cities across India are gradually reopening post
“In cities such as Mumbai and Delhi where the local trains and metros carry 4 million and 3 million commuters daily respectively, it will be crucial to increase bus and
Public commuters shifting to personal vehicles
For many Indians, buying a car isn’t the option, and there must be a ramping up of public transportation infrastructure, said Khosla.
As per the
“People who cannot afford personal mobility will use shared transport; therefore, we need to provide them with safe movement. On the other hand, if choice users and people with affordability shift to private transportation, our cities will come to a grinding halt. Therefore, we need to bring the focus back on shared mobility. One way to do it would be to initiate COVID19 safety labelling for transport services,” said Amit Bhatt, director, transport, WRI India.
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