All India Institute of Local Self-Government, in collaboration with United Cities and Local Governments – Asia Pacific (UCLG ASPAC) and Urban Update, organised a webinar in the month of November as part of its E-Dialogues series. The theme of the discussion was shift of people’s transit preferences from public transport to private vehicles. The pandemic has significantly affected transit choices of people due to serious health challenges. Data shows that public transport has seen a major slump in the usage even after the ‘Unlockdown’ began. A range of daunting questions about contemporary urban issues were asked and efforts were made to find answers
The COVID-19 pandemic has seriously affected people’s transportation preferences. They have started shifting from public transport towards private vehicles in order to avoid any health associated risk. To discuss this shift in transportation, Urban Update invited Prof Geetam Tiwari, Chair Professor, Transportation Research and Injury Prevention Program (TRIPP), Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi; Dr RS Minhas, Deputy Chief General Manager, Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC); Dr Sewa Ram, Professor, Department of Transport Planning, School ofPlanning and Architecture, Delhi; and Faraz Ahmed, Senior Research Associate (Transport Planning), Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP). Abhishek Pandey, Editor, Urban Update, moderated the event.
E-Dialogue 19.0| Changing Transit Preferences-From Public to Private
Pandey began by saying that despite various innovations in public transit, data shows that usage of public transportation has decreased across the world. It is high time that the authorities and administration revive public transport in a way that makes people confident of using it.
Prof Tiwari began her part by talking about situations that were prevalent during previous pandemics which were much fatal than what the world is facing currently. She said, “Past pandemics also had severe effects on demand for public transportation and there is no reason to believe that the COVID-19 pandemic has put a permanent scar on its face.” In many countries, unlike India, public travel was not halted completely during lockdowns. Infact, public transit was made available in reduced capacity while following proper precautions. Public transportation is a derived demand which means that people travel because they need to go to offices or their places of work. However, during lockdown in India, travel was completely restricted which affected the demand severely, Prof Tiwari added. The people employed in the services sector have been one of the most prominent users of metros in cities but due to the new work-from-home routine followed by most organisations, this demand was extinguished completely. Prof Tiwari added that travelling by buses has become difficult in the post-pandemic period because of the regulations put in place by the government allowing only 20 people to board a bus at a time. Thus, people have to stand in long lines at bus stops, waiting for a bus to arrive that might have an empty seat for them to occupy. In addition to this, no new innovative policies have been implemented for buses despite the emergency. Dr Minhas talked about the need to add more buses in the country’s public transit system to meet demand of public transit which is bound to increase as the present situation gets better. He said, “As per my study, there is a need of adding 16,000 buses to Delhi’s fleet of buses against which, only 7,000 to 8,000 buses are currently operating in Delhi by the DTC and Department of Transport, Government of Delhi.” Financial assistance needed for Public transport to the tune of `2,33,691 in various fields has been ignored since long. He added that due to the pandemic situation, a smaller number of people can travel in same number of buses due to safety guidelines which has severely increased the demand for buses. He said, “By strictly following the safety guidelines, we have to build trust among people so that we can come back to a similar amount of demand for public transit.” He also suggested various solutions for the smooth operation of buses, with proper safety precautions, such as changing the school timings to avoid crowding, installing sanitizer dispensers in buses, thermal testingof passengers, compulsory use of masks, and contactless bus ticket booking. According to a data from the DTC,
Dr Minhas stated that the corporation has witnessed a drop in users of almost 3,073 lakh people which has added to the losses of the department. He concluded by saying that continuance of public transport is essential as it supports the livelihoods of various people. Dr Ram answered a question regarding how the pandemic has affected travel characteristics and said that efforts must be made to ensure that the new normal should not become permanent. He added that there are no safety guidelines for other modes of public transport such as e or auto-rickshaws, which are one of the foremost modes of transport fulfilling the first and last-mile connectivity requirements of people in Indian cities. Dr Ram went on to address problems faced by those travelling from remote areas, particularly those areas with little or no connectivity to government-operated buses.He suggested that operation of mini-buses can solve their problems in the long run.
According to ITDP data, 10 to 16 per cent of the people accepted that they will prefer to travel by personal vehicles instead of using public transit. Faraz Ahmed added that around half of the population either walks or uses bicycles to travel as their trips are short. In various countries, COVID-19 hotspots were studied and it was found that public transport was not a significant contributor to the spread of the pandemic.
Faraz Ahmed started by talking about public participation in mitigating the shift in transit preferences of people. According to ITDP data, 10 to 16 per cent of the people accepted that they will prefer to travel by personal vehicles instead of using public transit. He added that around half of the population either walks or uses bicycles to travel as their trips are short. In various countries, COVID-19 hotspots were studied and it was found that public transport was not a significant contributor to the spread of the pandemic. He said, “The reputation of public transport is downgraded to such level that people assume it to be unsafe whereas the data shows otherwise. Moreover, the exposure time of people in different modes of public transport is very less which further reduces the chances of infection.” Stimulus investment in public transport and sustainable modes of private transport such as bicycles is the need of the hour and it will also help the economy in the long run. He concluded by saying that proper communication and outreach is needed to communicate with the users and make them aware of safety measures put in place by governments in order to earn back lost trust on public transport.
Prof Tiwari answered the question regarding the change of passenger behavior after the pandemic by saying that it is completely related to the growth of the country. She added that people travel if there is a need and the need is generated by a fully-functioning economy which is not the case with India right now. Dr Minhas answered the question regarding the need of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system and said that inclusion of BRT is the need of the hour and it should be accepted by all the stakeholders. He added that prioritisation of bus passengers is important to develop the system of public transit but it was not accepted universally. Ahmed added to the discussion and said that we should implement multi-pronged strategies to mitigate the shift in transit preference and government should focus on travel demand management. He added that owning a private vehicle can be linked to various other factors but usage of the private vehicle should be examined.