A smart bus stop inside Electronic City.
Credit: ELCITA
With the burgeoning cosmopolitan population and increased number of private vehicles numbering more than a crore officially, public transport has been relegated to the ‘poor man’s choice of transport’ in Bengaluru. Personal vehicles are almost a hallmark of success.
Although most people understand mass public transport's power in decongesting traffic and reducing pollution, they hesitate to use a bus or metro for their daily commute. Though public transport today is better managed, comfortable to sit and easier to access, the hesitation continues.
Public transport becomes viable for many when it is reliable, affordable and safe. Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has been the lifeline of Bengaluru, with more than 30 lakh tickets being sold every day, while the metro has a footfall of close to 6 lakhs on average, which is set to increase soon with the introduction of new lines.
The Shakti scheme that brought lakhs of women to buses, the opening of the metro train service to Whitefield, new electric buses being added and the metro service to Electronics City are some developments that will make 2023 a landmark year, with lakhs of people being able to switch to public transport.
A bus cannot go faster than private vehicles without exclusive road space. Namma Metro brings speed and reliable commute time to public transport as it owns an exclusive infrastructure, but more people will use the metro if the last-mile connectivity is better. Reliable first and last-mile connectivity requires collaboration between multiple government agencies.
Experiments with connectivity
Areas such as Whitefield and HSR Layout were open to experiments in mobility. Both these areas tried out cycle lanes but without much success. Even Outer Ring Road cycle lanes have limited use as access from other areas is insufficient. The safety of cyclists and issues caused by other motorised traffic is still of concern to many.
HSR Layout is trying to increase cycle parking facilities with a project funded by the Directorate of Urban Land Transport, said Shashidhara K, founder of the HSR Cyclists Group. The area also has Chakra buses run by the BMTC, connecting all seven sectors of the area to help people hop on and off.
In the past, many shared ride initiatives using various apps and private initiatives failed because of a government rule that accords 'stage carriage licence' only to BMTC buses, not private or yellow-board vehicles. They carry contract carriage, hence cannot pick up people between the origin and destinations. This rule exists even today.
With the Byappanahalli-K R Puram metro line set to open, resident welfare associations in Whitefield are trying to connect the first/last miles.
"Ask a person to walk a kilometre to catch a bus or metro, and we lose the battle to a private mode of transport,” says Sudarshan Ranganathan, a member of Whitefield Rising involved in mobility-related issues. He feels that more metro feeder buses and other ride-share options are urgently needed to help first/last mile connectivity.
"Private vehicles are choking the roads, so a short-term solution in Whitefield for shared last-mile connectivity is very important," he explains, adding that high-frequency smaller vehicles are the solution to un-choking the roads.
Malleswaram is where citizens were generally interested in improving walkability and cycling. One of the planned residential areas with wide roads and planned mains and crosses, the once-idyllic area is now in the middle of traffic chaos. With three metro stations within two kilometres from the core Malleswaram area but none passing through it, RWAs are struggling to get the metro feeder buses.
Krishna Panyam, a cyclist himself, says the lack of secure cycle parking in metro stations is a big problem. "Though I would love to cycle from Malleswharam to my office 5 km away in Goraguntepalya, the lack of lighting and narrow, packed roads in the evening become a problem. I can cycle to a metro station and take the train, but there is no secure parking available," he explains, adding that his cycle parked at the Srirampuram metro station got stolen.
He also narrates the paradox where the number of walkers exceeds those who drive. "We focus more on what impacts a minimum number of people. Once you improve walkability, the path becomes cyclable automatically, leading to improved public transport usage that affects more people," he adds.
Communities across Bengaluru are finding the need to shift to public transport. "Bengaluru Apartment Federation (BAF) has over 1,200 communities with nearly 3 lakh households. Nearly a million people from these apartments commute daily for work, entertainment and other needs. It will be a massive impact if they can all shift to public transport," says Vikram Rai, general secretary of the Bengaluru Apartments’ Federation.
Even corporates have felt the need to shift to public transport as part of their commitment to promote sustainable development goals. Jayen Desai, Senior Director of Strategy and Operations at VMware India, explains a partnership between VMware India and Intel designed to bring together more than 80 global technology companies.
“The focus is on driving community outcomes through employee participation, leveraging technology and startup ecosystem to solve societal challenges and to provide a bigger voice in influencing sustainable goals,” he says.
Shuttle buses, smart bus stops
The Electronics City Industrial Township Authority (ELCITA) has been an early adopter of many novel solutions to promote public transport. It partnered with the Green Line of Bangalore Metropolitan Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) in March 2022 to provide free shuttle services between Electronics City and Silk Institute metro station, situated around 20 km apart, exclusively for the employees.
"With four morning and four evening trips, the services get about 500-600 trips daily," said a spokesperson.
ELCITA also runs 20 trips of free shuttle services within the township spanning a road length of about 20 kms to accommodate short trips for employees. "We communicated to the BMTC Managing Director the need for more buses on NICE Road, and BMTC has increased the number of buses by two," he added.
The lack of facilities at bus stops may sometimes be a hurdle for people to use public transport. To help manage this, ELCITA installed four smart bus stops equipped with innovative and safety features like electronic displays, panic buttons, solar panels, drinking water, vertical gardens, vending machines and charging points where one can sit and work while waiting. This may not work for other areas as Electronics City is managed differently by ELCITA with better security.
With Namma Metro’s Yellow Line slated to open soon, ELCITA is working with the BMTC to increase the number of small electrical buses. BMTC officials confirmed working on getting more mini electrical buses to Bengaluru.
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Autos to the rescue
Today in Bengaluru, people can escape the anguish and stress caused by traffic jams by using public transport. To help citizens embrace public transport, Auto Rickshaw Driver’s Union (ARDU) will introduce MetroMitra services in collaboration with Namma Metro to provide seamless first and last-mile connectivity. Autorickshaw drivers will be trained to provide professional and reliable transport services to fellow Bengaluru citizens.
Rudramurthy
General Secretary, Auto Rickshaw Driver's Union
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Measuring the impact
The cheapest and the most environmental-friendly way to provide the end mile is to enable walk and cycle access to the buses and the trains. Council for Active Mobility uses the gamification engine AltMo.app to quantify the impact of climate-positive sustainable transport choices and help make the last mile trips on a bicycle attractive to corporate employees. It's now for the companies to enable this as an option for their employees.
Satya Sankaran
Mobility activist
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Essential service for all
The Slum Dwellers Federation works on the rights of slum dwellers and marginalised sections of society to ensure water, sanitation, housing, and public transportation. Public transport should be affordable and not a luxury for the marginalised as it unlocks opportunities for education and employment. I remember my colleagues waiting for blackboard buses and facing the brunt of not being on time. Today we are collaborating with several other organisations to improve public transport services’ reliability and multi-modal connectivity. Public transport should not be a privilege a few can afford but an essential service for all.
John Samuel
President, Slum Dweller Federation
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Personal to public transport
The more we understand travel patterns and gaps in first and last-mile access, the better we can make our public transport system. Personal2Public (Personal2Public.in) is a campaign designed to unite all the stakeholders, working towards a common goal of inspiring citizens to use public transport at least twice a week by collaborating with citizen groups, corporates, auto drivers, and government agencies. It will conduct surveys, fieldwork and formally submit requests to concerned authorities who are pleased to hear from the civil society and willing to engage.
Revathy Ashok
Chief Executive Officer, B.PAC