India missed the bus — and why we should catch up now

Let’s take up a simple exercise: Pick any city with thriving public transport. Any good one. You will spot a common theme in every such city — a comprehensive and accessible bus system. Buses are the lifeline of our cities. They are sustainable, user-friendly, and when implemented correctly — cost-effective too, for all stakeholders involved. In most Indian cities, there is enough demand for such a public transport system.  For the vast majority of residents in our cities, public transit is the only practical means to access education, employment, and public services. And this becomes even more important when such services are beyond the viable distance of walking or cycling. Whilst we have city bus systems to cater to this need, they often miss out on the two parameters that matter the most — reliability and speed. This is where the idea of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems comes in. BRT is a high-quality, bus-based transit system that delivers  fast, comfortable, and cost-effective services through the provision of dedicated laneways. It comprises busways and iconic stations typically aligned to the centre of the road, off-board fair collection, and fast and frequent operations. Think of it as a bus network with metro-level infrastructural setup and capabilities, except that it’s on-ground, making it even more accessible. So why is it that we don’t see a BRT system in every single city in India? Let’s delve into the issue. Resounding failure for some; success for others In 2008, Delhi opened its first BRT line, designed to be a 3.6-kilometre corridor that would move 12,000 passengers per hour, heading one way in South Delhi. By 2016, the city government had decided to scrap the project altogether. There were a few important reasons behind that. First, the dedicated bus lane was only 3.6 kilometres long, after which the buses would re-enter regular traffic.  This corridor was always going to be too small to test, as the average route length for a passenger in Delhi was approximately 10 km. Though there were plans to extend this to 14 kilometres, they were never implemented. Second, the BRT lane was essentially a free-for-all lane. The BRT was left open to buses of all sizes, utility, and forms. For some time, they were even open to cars and two-wheelers. Unsurprisingly, this added to the congestion issue as opposed to solving it.  Still, the Delhi BRT was able to carry 12,000 passengers per hour per direction, albeit at a grinding speed of 13 km/hr. This was an indication that while the transit system was doing its job, lane congestion was clearly hindering its performance. Finally, there is an elitist bias in the city that protects those in cars and, subsequently, takes space away from walkers, cyclists, and bus-users. As the Delhi BRT hit snags, a PR crisis unfolded. There was negative media and a public outcry against the BRT, primarily by rich people in cars who control most of the power.  Newspapers railed against the BRT system, calling it a curse and pushing to “scrap this trap”. A bus takes up twice the space of a car but can carry 20 times the people. Delhi’s bus ridership is estimated to be about 40 lakh people. To blame the BRT for the congestion issue is counter-intuitive. Yet, that was precisely the situation Delhi found itself in in 2016 when it scrapped the project. Fortunately, some cities in India have successfully implemented the BRT system. For example, in Indore, Ahmedabad, Surat and Hubli Dharwad. So, what did these cities do right that the others can learn from them? Urban Transport specialist Prashant Bachu highlights in a  recent article how Indore was able to implement an 11.5 km BRT corridor, which was launched in mid-2013, despite seven years of ordeal and public opposition. Since then, Indore’s iBus has seen a 700 per cent increase in passenger ridership and has also managed to break-even operationally, with the highest earning per kilometre in the entire country. How? Indore’s BRT corridor was built and maintained along the busiest road that cuts across the city, unlike other cities where they were built along roads where it was easiest to do so. The iBus operated at a high frequency, even when ridership was low in the early stages and fares were kept low, with a minimum fare of Rs 5. Finally, a carefully crafted communication strategy was formed to overcome the negativity associated with BRT. This involved project branding, free trial runs and citizen sensitisation campaigns, among other things. While Indore is obviously a much smaller city than Delhi, one can still learn a lot from the Indore iBus, in terms of implementation, functionality, and outreach. The benefits The value of a well-functioning BRT system cannot be overstated. A reliable and affordable bus system with reasonably good quality can reduce city emission levels, make individual lifestyles more active, and can even generate significant revenue, if implemented well. In cities like Delhi or Gurugram, which experience consistently high levels of pollution and congestion, it is imperative that quality public transport is prioritized as a leading form of urban mobility. How can BRT systems generate profit? “The magic wand lies in attracting low distance passengers whilst continuing to provide an affordable service,” says Prashant Bachu. By providing a service with a high frequency of buses (with a minimum R. 5 fare), it will attract lower distance passengers, who can generate revenue that is higher than operational costs. By combining this frequency with affordability, the volume of people using the service should increase significantly, as seen in Indore. A route operating at a higher frequency attracts more ridership due to the confidence of availability, without any wait time (reduced time cost). A standard bus with a 60-person capacity, running at a 70 percent occupancy ratio can be translated to a fare of approximately Rs 50/km. Add that to the advertising capacity of a BRT system, both inside the bus, on the bus and at the stations. The revenue generated can be Rs 55-60/km. Indore, pre-lockdown, with similar policies in place, was able to generate Rs 104/km. Another issue with the Delhi BRT was its slow speed of 13 km/hour. If a proper corridor is provided (which is a prerequisite for any functional BRT), 20 percent more passengers can be catered to at the same initial fixed cost. This will also reduce the maintenance cost and staff costs, as buses will travel greater distances in the same period, and drivers can drive longer distances at the same salary. When it comes to congestion, it’s important to recognise that a BRT must be a network, just like the metro. If it is run ineffectively, it will cause additional congestion. There needs to be a minimum of one bus every 2 minutes (ideally every minute), catering to at least 1,800 passengers per hour per direction. Why haven’t we seen a revamp of the BRT system in other Indian cities? Dario Hidalgo is a global expert on sustainable mobility, and specifically on BRT systems. He was also part of the agency that built the BRT system in Bogota, Columbia known as the TransMilenio, also the largest BRT system in the world. It has been running for over 20 years now. One interesting observation from its success was Dario’s explanation that  it was not just a technological leap, but an institutional transformation, that led to this success. The mayor of Bogota, Enrique Penalosa was a leading figure in recognising the issue and pushing for BRT as the solution. The project required, and was built upon, private-public partnerships. The National Government of Columbia and the District of Bogota have already spent over $750 million to ensure continuance of its successful operations. In short, it took recognition of its value and true initiative to grow TransMilenio to where it is today. Indian cities need to learn from BRT systems such as those of Bogota and Indore, and arguably, they are in much more need of such a system. The emission levels in these cities are much beyond sustainable levels and not enough is being done to address the issue. Our city governments and local institutions must take the kind of approach that Bogota took towards the TransMilenio. We need to run similar PR campaigns to those done in Indore. We need to stop incentivising private transport and shift our focus to the public. Let’s learn from our previous mistakes and incorporate lessons from these success stories to create a new and improved BRT system for the future. As Dario Hidalgo said, it takes initiative. Without that, the failure of such a system is inevitable. Akash V Basu is an Associate at Raahgiri Foundation. Sarika Panda Bhatt is a Director at Nagarro. Views expressed are personal. Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.