Saturday, March 5, 2016

[Editorial # 77] A better deal for bus commuters : The Hindu

[Following editorial has been published in The Hindu on 5th March 2016. Read through it and try to answer the questions that follow. Please do not copy and paste answers. The objective of this exercise is to get you in the groove of answer-writing. Try to write in your own words. Don't hesitate to write in a bulleted-format, if you are uncomfortable in writing in paragraph form.]

In 2014-15, India added nearly 20 million vehicles, mainly two-wheelers, but also two million cars, vans and so on to the existing 172 million registered motor vehicles. Several million more have been added since, as public transport remains inadequate. Personal transport has now reached saturation limit in the cities, resulting in gridlock, rising air pollution, lost productivity and ill-health. The Union Budget for 2016-17 has made a timely intervention at such an inflection point, with the move to expand the public transport system. The Motor Vehicles Act is to be amended to open up the passenger segment, and more entrepreneurs will be able to operate bus services. It will be up to the States, though, to accept the new liberalised regulatory system. Any measure to modernise India’s public transport and help the commuter should be welcomed. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is on target when he talks of greater investment, employment and multiplier effects for the economy stemming from such a move. The law enabling State road transport undertakings dates back to 1950, and many States have failed to progressively augment their operations after opting for full or partial nationalisation, especially in the cities. Private operators, on the other hand, have rapidly increased their share of the total number of buses. The Budget proposal to open up the sector has the potential to reverse the effects of the neglect and obsolescence.

Regulation is often seen as the obstacle that has affected the growth of bus transport. Yet, a scheme of the kind that the Budget proposes cannot run without a sound regulatory framework, if the goal is to remove erstwhile monopolies and introduce greater competition even in those States where private provision in urban and inter-city services already exists. Optimally, a system should lay down standards, identify areas of operation, fix prices and enable participation by entrepreneurs. As the National Transport Development Policy Committee 2013 said in its report, there is a need for a strategy panel at the national and State levels. This is necessary to take a comprehensive view of rail, road, waterway and non-motorised modes. On the question of encouraging private sector participation in bus services, the experience of London is worth studying: routes are tendered as per schedules, fares are fixed by the city government, and buses are run by franchisee operators who are paid according to mileage. What stands out in this model is the use of intelligent transport systems — of the kind the new taxi companies in India use — to determine whether the contractor is adhering to schedules, and to analyse demand-supply patterns. For passengers, they provide efficient real-time service information. India’s bus transport system lacks the wherewithal to make such studies using massive amounts of data as it is technologically outdated. Buses are also unpopular because they are not ergonomically designed as per the national bus code. A renaissance in bus services is possible, but not without modern design standards and service-level benchmarking that are ensured through strict enforcement.

1. What are various modes of Public Transport? Why is public transport system important for a balanced growth of cities?

2. What are the negative impacts of burgeoning number of private vehicles on the roads of our cities?

3. What are various provisions in the Budget 16-17 for improving the Public Transport Systems in India?

4. Under which list of the constitution does Public Transport fall? How is Centre-State relation important to improve public transport systems?

5. What were the important recommendations of National Transport Development Policy Committee 2013?

6. What is the London Model of Public Transport System? Can it be replicated in Indian cities? What would be the challenges in replicating such projects in India?

4 comments:

  1. Various modes of Public transport in India:
    Short distance
    1.Bus
    2.Taxi
    3.Auto Rickshaw
    4.Tram
    5.Cycle Rickshaw.
    6.Local Train.
    7.Metro.
    8.Ferry.
    9.Horse carriage.
    10.Hand-pulled Rickshaw.
    Long distance
    Railways. Bus. Airways. Waterways.
    It is very important for a balanced growth of cities. It helps in reducing pollution as rise in use of public transport will reduce number of private vehicle plying on the road. Less number of vehicle on the road will in turn reduce congestion. Therefore efficiency will also increase. as people will take less time to reach from point A to point B.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Earns revenue for state.
      Provides employment to masses.

      Delete
  2. Public Transport for short distance is mentioned in State List. Whereas for long distance it is
    mentioned in Union List.

    ReplyDelete
  3. 2. A. Air pollution
    B. Traffic congestion
    C. Increase in number of old scrapped vehicle

    ReplyDelete