Why Public Transport In India Must Bring Back Its Past Glory

There has been a tremendous growth in private vehicle ownership in India over the past decade. Government data show that the number of registered motor vehicles in the country stood at over 19 crore as of March 2016 -- a compound annual growth of 94.4 per cent from 2011 to 2016. While rising income levels have made car possession easier these days, even if you do not have enough funds, there are easy purchase options using bank loans.

However, much before the income levels saw a sharp rise and banks made auto loans easy to process, the common man's patience with poor public transport facilities had begun to shake. As soon as the common man found an opportunity, he jumped on to his own vehicle, which gave him both freedom and speed.

However, this rising vehicle ownership also gave birth to serious transport and environmental issues. While traffic jams became the order of the day for those living in major cities, high pollution levels came as a tag-along. According to a World Bank report released in 2014, national capital Delhi has the worst air quality in the world.

Amid all this, states, with help from the central government, have been promoting the use of public transport among people. For instance, if a state initiates a Metro rail project, the Centre funds 20 per cent of the project cost. The Centre also provides an assistance of 80 per cent for preparing comprehensive mobility plans and other transport-related studies by cities, while it bears 50 per cent of the cost spent in preparing Mass Rapid Transport System (MRTS) plans. The Union government is also promoting the use of latest technology — GPS-based vehicle-tracking system, automatic fare collection system, and electronic ticket- vending machines — to ease traffic congestions.

While most of this is “work in -progress” and is expected to yield positive results, authorities -- both at the state and central government levels -- will have to think of better ways to bring back the glory the public transport systems enjoyed in India a long time ago.