Bus Citizen Matters

What will it take to nudge people towards public transport post COVID?

August 10, 2020 Abhinav Soman and Himani Jain

As cities gradually unlock, a look at interventions that could effectively quell fears of COVID transmission and revive ridership on buses and other public transport

Will it be possible to maintain social distancing in our public buses?

May 2, 2020 Siddhant Kalra

How can public buses ensure social distancing after the lockdown is relaxed? German sustainable development consultancy GIZ has some pointers.

Heavy hearts, angry questions as Mumbai prepares to phase out double-decker buses

December 26, 2019 Hepzi Anthony

Running the iconic and popular double decker buses is economically unviable, says BEST. Activists, however, question the transport utility’s myopic approach and the wisdom of phasing out a service that holds such a special place in the hearts of Mumbaikars.

Why Bhopal wants its BRTS corridor to be dismantled after spending Rs 329 crore on it

October 31, 2019 Shuriah Niazi

Traffic chaos, commuter inconvenience and alarming accident records — on the face of it, the reasons for the public outcry against Bhopal’s ‘corridor of trouble’ seem aplenty. But does it really call for dismantling of the infrastructure? What do experts say?

Biodiesel from used cooking oil: What’s fuelling five buses in Mangalore

October 12, 2019 Harsha Raj Gatty

In Mangalore, a state government-run research centre has developed the technology to convert used cooking oil to biodiesel. Five private buses here now run on biofuel blend

India gets its first public battery swapping station as Ahmedabad launches 18 e-buses

September 26, 2019 Binita Parikh

The e-buses run on RTO circular routes 1 and 2, covering many key residential and business centres. The battery swapping station is at Ranip, on Route 1. Find out what else is on the cards for Ahmedabad’s e-mobility programme.

The gaps in public transport that are pushing people towards private vehicles

August 27, 2019 Dattatraya T Devare

Citizens look for mainly three factors when it comes to public transportation: efficiency, accessibility, and affordability. Sadly, Indian cities have been ignoring all three, leading to an explosion of private vehicles on our streets and all the associated problems.

Yeh dil maange more: Kolkata, New Town love their e-buses, but more needed for impact

August 22, 2019 Gurvinder Singh

40 electric buses planned for 11 routes in Kolkata were pressed into service earlier this year, while the satellite town of New Town has been successfully running 3 e-buses for more than one year. How have they been faring and what’s in the offing?

12 years and 1100 crores behind it, Pune BRTS fails to solve commuter woes

July 25, 2019 Ekta Joshi

Flawed design, poor implementation, and the near absence of a centralized authority has left the bus rapid transit system in shambles, with infrequent buses, shabby and ailing infrastructure, and road mishaps on these corridors being the norm.

Report card: How charged up are electric buses in Indian cities?

July 18, 2019 Revathi Siva Kumar

In June, the government called for proposals from state transport departments for deployment of 5,000 electric buses, to be supported under the FAME-II scheme; but how close are our cities to realising that vision?

Lip service for women commuters: The tale of Dimapur’s ‘Pink Bus’

June 12, 2019 Ninglun Hanghal

Launched in 2018 with the express aim of facilitating safe and comfortable commute for women, the Pink bus services have neither lived up to their original promise, nor made any significant difference to the overall fleet of public bus transport.

When will Delhi see electric buses on its regular routes?

April 1, 2019 Satarupa Sen Bhattacharya

In a detailed interview with Citizen Matters, Jasmine Shah, Vice Chairperson of the Delhi Dialogue and Development Commission (DDC), throws light on the exact goals with regard to induction of e-buses in the capital and the journey towards that over the last one year.

City Buzz: Hate grips cities post Pulwama | Urban jobs scheme in MP | ‘Connect Delhi’ project…and more

February 23, 2019 News Desk

MNREGS-like scheme launched for urban youth in MP, Delhi aims to provide neighbourhood-level public transport, while Kashmiris face threats in some cities as the nation boils over in the aftermath of the terror attack in Pulwama. Catch the most important happenings across cities this week.

What will it take for our city bus systems to keep fares low and still curtail losses?

November 13, 2018 Arjun Rajan

Most public bus units in our cities have run into huge losses. Yet, fare increase would make buses unaffordable for the ones who need them the most. Can the state step in and find a way for them to be accessible as well as economically viable?

City buzz: Delhi air quality | Plans for India’s first Justice City | Kolkata public transport | Metro rail news…and more

November 5, 2018 News Desk

Where will India’s first Justice City be? Which city in the country has been ranked on top in terms of public transport options? Why is Mumbai reeling under water crisis? That and more buzz from cities in our weekly news recap.