Commute

In the first part of this series, we pointed out that Environment Clearance (EC) was issued for the mammoth elevated corridors project within the record time of two weeks. EC is issued based on an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report submitted by the project proposer. In this case, the consultant AECOM Asia had submitted the report on behalf of the Karnataka Road Development Corporation Ltd (KRDCL) which is implementing the project. In this part, we discuss the serious omissions in the EIA, which begs the question of how the EC was issued at all. For one, the EIA does not…

“Public transport services in Kochi are not friendly for those of us who have different kinds of disabilities,” says Rahul, a resident of the city, who has reduced mobility. Rahul works for an organization in Kochi and has been using an electric wheelchair for the past year. But the wheelchair is useful for him only inside his place of work. Outside the office, he never uses public transport due to its inaccessibility and poor connectivity, and has to be dependent on personal vehicles and companions.  For Rahul, and others like him, it is not just the availability of trains and…

Over the past few months, Karnataka has become infamous for its treatment of taxi aggregator apps. It began with the state transport department banning Ola for operating bike taxis. Last week, the department ordered aggregators to stop shared-cab services too in the city. In the absence of a predictable public transport system, many of these services - shared cabs or bike taxis - had become cost-effective alternatives for Bengalureans. But despite their obvious benefits, state government continues to view such services with suspicion, and brings down the law on them. It is not that state government is particular about hindering easier…

[This article has been co-authored by Rajendranath Goswami, Head of Electro-Mobility, Robert Bosch Engineering & Business Solutions Pvt. Ltd.] India’s ambitious goals to electrify 30% of its entire vehicle fleets by 2030 promises an exciting albeit challenging journey ahead. The seriousness with which electrification of mobility is being pursued was made clear once more recently, with the government think tank NITI Aayog proposing that after 2030, only electric vehicles should be sold in India. While a coherent policy by the central government continues to elude, states like Karnataka, Telangana and Delhi have rolled out their own State Electric Vehicle (EV)…

Is the Small Bus an opportunity or a liability for cash-strapped Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) in Chennai? All comments made by MTC on the question give the impression that the Small Bus service is a drain on the finances of the Corporation. The bus corporation says not many people are using it, and therefore it is being curtailed or withdrawn, while people say the service is not reliable and often simply vanishes without notice. This report in The Hindumentions some problems in the service, although it does not contain new information on what the present situation is on the ground. Failed connections The…

Newspapers are reporting that the Karnataka government is considering handing over BMTC's 1000 AC buses to other Road Transport Corporations (RTCs) due to profitability concerns, and also adding 3000 regular buses to all RTC fleets. Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike (BBPV), a collective that campaigns for better BMTC services, welcomes the move to rethink the presence of Volvo AC buses and replace these with ordinary buses. The decision will greatly help urban poor commuters and the corporation itself. We, however, would like to emphasise that no buses should be taken off the roads until new ones are added to the fleet.…

Thirteen new CNG stations by GAIL Gas are expected to become operational in Bengaluru in a few months, said the company's Chief General Manager (CGD) Vivek Wathodkar. This would take the total number of such refill stations by GAIL in the city to 22. Speaking at the Elite Fleet Operators Meet on June 18 at Taj Vivanta on MG Road, Wathodkar said the company was planning to set up 100 CNG stations in Bengaluru in the next 2-3 years, and highlighted the necessity of CNG. The meet was organised by Maruti Suzuki India Limited in association with GAIL Gas Limited,…

Despite the obvious damage it would cause to Bengaluru’s environment and ecology, the elevated corridors project had got Environment Clearance (EC) in no time. As citizen groups have appealed to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to scrap the project, in this series, we look at how the project had got EC even as it avoided a rigorous environment impact assessment. EC is issued based on an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report that the project proposers submit. In the case of elevated corridors, the project consultant AECOM ( on behalf of the proposer Karnataka Road Development Corporation Ltd) had submitted a…

After a failed attempt last year, the BMTC (Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation) has relaunched its online service to issue bus passes to students. From now, the application process for student passes will be completely online, and no physical application forms will be available, says Deepak N, Public Relations Officer at BMTC. The 'smart card' bus pass issued online, would have the photograph and name of the student, along with a unique identification number encrypted into an electronic chip. The chip will also have data on the bus route taken by the student to and from school, and validity of the…

Chakri S is a regular user of the Hyderabad metro, the city’s largest ever infrastructure project. He finds it more convenient and cheaper than using the city bus. But Chakri is one of the lucky ones. As experts are pointing out, the Metro, planned in 2004, has been unable to keep up with the rapid growth and expansion of the city which has nullified some of the original assumptions that went into drawing up the metro routes. “For example, the Miyapur line should be extended upto Patancheru/Lingampally where there are a large number of factories,” said Chakri. “Similarly, connecting HITEC…