The Mobility Drought
- connect2783
- Feb 3, 2023
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 5
In smaller Indian cities, public transport often struggles to meet the demands of commuters. From Srinagar to Hyderabad, limited bus fleets and unreliable services are a recurring issue, especially during peak times. As the challenges grow, the question arises: how can cities revamp their transport systems to make public transport a reliable choice for everyone? Ensuring a sufficient and consistent fleet could be the first step.
A well-designed public transportation system forms the backbone of a city, and its efficiency is crucial not just for the economy but for the wellbeing of the citizens as well. There are studies which suggest that public transportation usage in smaller Indian cities is limited. It is possible that lack of demand for public transport leads to underdeveloped infrastructure, but vice versa may also be true.
In fact a recent study under the Transport 4 All Challenge revealed that shortage of buses and low frequency are some of the major factors that drive people away from public transport.
The issues related to the unavailability of bus service have been continuously raised in many Indian cities.
Residents of Srinagar have been facing the problems of non-availability of public transport services for a long time. Commuters have complained about an acute shortage of public transport on several routes within the city; however, no efforts have been taken from the authority’s side to solve this long-pending problem.
The problem gets further aggravated at the onset of winter when the main public transport services like mini buses and sumos, start disappearing, especially during the evening hours.
Similar is the case with public transport facilities in Ganderbal in J&K. A shortage of reliable transportation facilities led to the protests by school students in the city, as they were unable to reach on time. College students in Hyderabad are also facing similar problems due to the shrinking bus fleet.
Efficient public transportation is an essential element of sustainable mobility, and in order to encourage the commuters to opt for public transport, it is important for the authorities to provide reliable transport services with an adequate number of fleets. To know more about the shortage in Srinagar, read.
Is your city also facing a shortage in public transport services?
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Would you use public transport if it were made available?
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