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Page 1: BRT Project

Date:- November 4, 2009

Submitted by:-21 : Amarjeet Punia 22 : Pranesh Kumar Pathak 23 : Vikas Gupta24 : Ashish Jain25 : Anil Gupta

PROJECT REPORT

BRT CORRIDOR

26 : Tanvi Jindal 27 : Anshul Jain28 : Vipul Singhal 29 : Vineet Kumar30 : Ishita Dhingra

UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT STUDIESGURU GOBIND SINGH INDRAPRASTHA UNIVERSITY

NEW DELHI

MBA- AB2009-11

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Table of Contents

1. Executive Summary

2. Introduction of the BRT

a. Introduction of Delhi

b. Introduction of BRT System

c. Need for BRT

3. Financial performance Analysis

a. Company report

b. Interpretation of financial condition

4. Strategies for BRT

a. Marketing

b. Human Resource

c. Finance

5. SWOT Analysis

6. Interpretation and Recommendations

7. Conclusions

8. Bibliography

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Executive Summary

Around the world, cities face enormous problems of transport sustainability. Rapidly

increasing populations and vehicle use have created gridlock and sprawl, even in very poor

cities, as well as rapid growth in oil use and unacceptably high levels of air pollution. This

project shows how better bus systems, incorporating new approaches to system design and

new technologies, can put urban transportation on a more sustainable path. It covers the

area: new bus systems in Delhi that are tackling very difficult traffic-related problems.

Compared to cities dominated by small private vehicles, those with well-designed bus

systems have much less traffic congestion, lower pollutant and CO2 emissions, and offer

better mobility for all social and economic classes. Bus systems in the developing world

carry a large share of urban travellers but are responsible for only a small part of traffic

congestion, energy use and pollution. This is because reasonably full buses are inherently

efficient – in terms of both road space and fuel use per passenger kilometre Even “dirty”

buses emit far less pollution and CO2 emissions per passenger kilometre than most other

types of vehicles. But transit shares of travel are declining in many cities and conditions are

worsen in changing these trends and moving toward more sustainable transport is

imperative. Our analysis indicates that for a city like Delhi, there is a 100% difference in oil

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use and CO2 emissions between a future transport system dominated by travel in high-

quality bus systems and one that is dominated by private vehicles.

While many new technologies are emerging to improve buses, perhaps the most important

story to be told is that the systems in which buses operate can be dramatically improved.

Bus transit can be a premier form of urban travel. A new paradigm in delivering bus services,

becoming known as bus rapid transit, is being developed in a number of cities, particularly

in Latin America, and shows promise for revolutionizing bus systems around the world.

Getting buses out of traffic, increasing their average speeds, improving their reliability and

convenience, and increasing system capacities can ensure high ridership levels and increase

the profitability of systems.

All in all, the package of improvements described in this book, and being tested and

implemented in various cities around the world, holds the potential to make all cities more

efficient, cleaner, less gridlocked and more sustainable. But it will not be easy. It will require

technical assistance and the transfer of experience and learning from successful cities to

those just Starting out. Perhaps most of all it will require political will.

The institutional, financial and operational aspects of bus systems must be strengthened. In

many poor cities, most buses are run by small independent companies, some of which

survive from day to day. These companies are rarely able to make major investments.

Systems must be reformed to improve service and profitability, by moving from “bus versus

bus” competition on the same route to competition for a licence to serve entire routes. The

level of service required for the entire route should be specified in the contract, and

provision of this service should be assisted by supporting policies, such as adequate fares.

Testing of new bus systems in “demonstration corridors” is an important step. Pilot or

demonstration projects can create the “seed” that later grows into a fully established

system of bus rapid transit routes. Demonstration projects can include dedicated bus lanes,

improved bus stops and terminals and new ways of licensing and regulating bus services on

the route. They can also offer a showcase for advanced technologies, or simply modern

buses.

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New, low-cost bus-system technologies can help. When lanes and entire corridors are given

over to buses, bus travel becomes increasingly attractive. With such additional features as

bus priority treatment at intersections and traffic signals, buses can become a premium

form of urban travel, rather than a last resort. Global positioning systems (GPS) to track bus

position and relay this information to travellers in real time, so they know when buses will

arrive, are also becoming cost-effective. “Smart card” ticketing systems can allow easy

transfers and multiple trips with one electronic fare card. In such cases, technology “leap-

frogging” makes good sense for many cities in the developing world.

Improved buses and bus systems should be part of a comprehensive strategy. Improving

buses and bus systems will help increase the bus share of passenger travel in cities around

the world. But unless strong policies to dampen the growth in car travel and, in many

places, motorcycle travel are also applied, the fight for sustainable transport will be a losing

battle. Increasing vehicle and fuel taxes, strict land-use controls and limits and higher fees

on parking are important to ensure a sustainable urban transport future. Equally important

is integrating transit systems into a broader package of mobility for all types of travellers, for

example non-motorised vehicle lanes. Pedestrians and bicyclists are important users of

transit, if they can get to it. Finally, all travel is rooted in the electric-drive structure of a city.

Electric-drive development should be geared toward avoiding cardependence and putting

important destinations close to public transit stations (and vice versa).

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Introduction of BRT

The Delhi Bus Rapid Transit System is a newly introduced concept of transport in Delhi in

which the buses cater to sixty percent of the city's transportation needs. Together with

Delhi Metro and soon to be introduced Monorail and Light Rail, it will be part of an

integrated multi-modal transport systems operational in Delhi. Delhi BRT work is also being

sped up keeping in mind the fact that the city will be hosting Commonwealth Games in

2010. The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi is undertaking major reforms to

make the transport in the capital city better. This includes introducing the multi-modal

transport system that will interact with each other at common bays as well as other

measures, like the AC buses, privatizing Delhi Transport Corporation etc. Like other bus-

rapid transit systems across the world, Delhi BRT aims to make public transport a more

convenient option for its people. Delhi BRT is not grade-separated, i.e., the buses do not run

at a different level or height than the normal traffic and share the same traffic signals.

DELHI

Delhi is known as city of flyovers in India. In the last decade, a number of flyovers were built

to ease the traffic condition on the road. Flyovers and underpasses were built to increase

the mobility of the commuters. The new expanded road spaces were seen as a symbol of

progress and speed and were accepted with much fanfare. However, each action has

tradeoffs. To create a private vehicle oriented infrastructure, the public transportation

system was neglected. Further with the city’s buoyant economy, cars have replaced buses

on the roads and cyclists have switched to two-wheelers and motorcycles. Pedestrians are

now the most marginalized commuters on the road. Increased number of vehicles on the

road has not only reduced the mobility of a large section of people, but has also increased

the pollution level, journey time and average per KM fuel consumption.

In 2002, Supreme Court issued an order to convert all diesel buses into CNG. The action

aimed to reduce the carbon level in the air and also generated hopes of a clean and

healthier society. However, in less than a decade, the gains that accrued from the CNG

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program have been lost. All the options available under the first generation reforms have

been exhausted.

In August 2008, the average total suspended particulate (TSP) level in Delhi was 378

micrograms per cubic meter—approximately five times the World Health Organization’s

(WHO) annual average standard (Source: Central Pollution Control Board). It is estimated

that over 3000 metric tons of air pollutants are emitted in Delhi (MOEF, 2002).

To address all these issues, Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD)

envisions an Integrated Multi-Modal Network of Public Transport system consisting of a

network Metro, Mono Rail, Light Rail and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). The overall vision aims to

strengthen the public transportation system and envisage a long-term solution to the city’s

traffic and parking problem.

Traffic scenario in Delhi

The transportation network in Delhi is predominantly road based with 1,284 km of road per

100 km2. The number of vehicles on Delhi’s road has increased by 212% in the last 18 years

from 19.23 lakh in 1991 to over 60 lakh by 2008. Road space in Delhi is 21% of the total

space available, thus there is little scope of future expansion of road length. The road length

in Delhi has increased from 22,487 km in 1991 to 31,183 km in 2008, a modest increase of

17% in the same period. To accommodate the increasing vehicular population, additional

space is increasingly sought to be created either over or beneath the road, i.e. Flyovers and

underpasses.

However, traditional approaches do not help to improve the mobility but help to shift the

bottleneck from one point to another. For example, GNCTD built more than 15 flyovers on

Ring Road to increase the throughput. The condition has improved radically so far as

engineering is concerned, but not necessarily in a mobility context. Ring Road has become

completely signal-free, but not congestion-free.

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Increasing vehicle population is also positively co-related with number of fatalities caused by

road accidents, most of these are pedestrians, cyclists and bus travelers. According to a

recent World Bank report (August 2008), every year road accidents cost India about 3% of

its gross domestic product, which was more than $1 trillion in 2007. In Delhi alone, till July

2008, 1,128 people had lost their lives in road accidents, of which 64 people had died in

accidents casued by Bluelines buses. Therefore, a long-term solution to improve the traffic

condition in Delhi, which includes bringing behavioral, attitudinal and cultural changes, is

the need of the hour. To avoid the chaos caused by the mixed traffic and to mitigate the risk

of accidents, there is a need to encourage lane driving of buses that had been introduced

earlier with the orders of the High Court. Further, instead of giving more incentive and road

space to private vehicles owners, there is a need to promote public transport.

The success of policy initiatives aimed at public transport is palpable. Delhi Metro has

proved to be a tremendous success story in Delhi. The idea was approved in 1998, with an

aim to improve the traffic condition and mobility of commuters. Delhi Metro is operating

around 90 trains and carrying approx. 8 lakhs passenger per day. The bus system, however,

has its own importance. Delhi Metro can not completely replace the bus-based system on all

routes. Due to higher capital cost, low capital returns and large gestation period, it is not

feasible to build Metro line on all stretchs. The logic of this argument is seen from the

situation in other cities with well developed metro networks like London and Paris, where

buses still cater to a much larger number of passenger trips than metro.

The reason is that the bus system is more flexible compared to other transportation system.

There is, thus, a need to strengthen the bus-based system. In Delhi, buses are generally

considered unreliable and time consuming, to reach the destination. Thus, there is need to

develop a system to give priority and dedicated road space to buses in order to make them

reliable and faster. BRT system is part of the Multi Modal Transport Policy of GNCTD, a total

of 7 BRT corridors are proposed to be built in the first phase

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Corridors planned

A total 26 BRT corridors are planned, covering a total length of 310 km by the year 2020.

This will be in addition to more than 400 km of metro train coverage by 2020 and further

coverage by Monorail and Light Rail.

Phase Corridors Length (Km)

I (2005-2010) 7 115.5

II (2010-2015)7 3 28.0

III (2015-2020) 3 166.0

Delhi BRT system

BRT means giving right of way to buses and safeguarding cyclists and pedestrians by

encouraging lane driving on engineered road spaces along large and wide corridors and

link them to metros and other colony roads for easy access. Besides giving priority to

buses, the system also provides dedicated lanes for pedestrian and non-motorized

vehicles like cycles and rickshaws etc.

The corner stone for the introduction of BRT system in Delhi was put up in 1995, when

Central Pollution Control Board commissioned a study for reducing vehicular pollution in

Delhi. The final report, with a recommendation to introduce segregated bicycle lanes

and bus lanes, was submitted in 1997. An international workshop was organized by the

Delhi Transport Corporation in collaboration with SIAM, IDFC and IIT Delhi on High

Capacity Bus Systems System in January 2002. This was the first major step in the

conceptualization of the BRT System for Delhi.

In 2004, GNCTD appointed RITES and Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) for

designing and implementing the first corridor from Dr. Ambedkar Nagar to Delhi Gate.

RITES has been appointed the Project Management Consultant and TRIPP IIT Delhi the

technical and conceptual advisors. In 2006, GNTCD established Delhi Integrated Multi-

Modal Transit System (DIMTS), a Special Purpose Vehicle to oversee the establishment

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of public transport systems in Delhi. DIMTS is currently entrusted with the operation and

maintenance of the existing corridor as the Corridor Manager.

In October 2006, the construction work on the corridor started. The stretch from Dr.

Ambedkar Nagar to Moolchand is under trial run since April 20, 2008.

Technical details

The first corridor of BRT in Delhi, from Ambedkar Nagar to Delhi Gate, is 14.5 km long

with ROW varying from 28 meters to 51.5 meters. Bus Lane is in the middle of the road

with a width of 3.3 meters. Motorized vehicle lane is on the side of bus lane with a width

of 6.75 meters. Separate tracks are made for non-motorized vehicles and pedestrians.

Operation management

Corridor Manager is looking after the operations and maintenance of the BRT Corridor.

The scope of work includes all types of operational aspects including traffic

management, bus operation, public relations, enforcement, recovery of disabled

vehicles, cleaning etc.

Corridor Manager has an internal dedicated team of senior officers to manage the

operation on a day to day basis. The company has also established an Operational

Control Centre (OCC) at Kashmere Gate and a camp office at DTC Khan Pur Depot to

monitor the daily progress. Regular monitoring schedules to track operational details are

put in place.

The company has also engaged different third-party services providers to meet specific

requirements. As on date, 180 road marshals are deployed on the corridor in two shifts.

Road Marshals guide bus passengers, help children and old people to cross the road,

manage traffic, instruct people to follow traffic rules and perform other corridor

management activities.

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Corridor Manager had also organized a two-day training session with Traffic Police and

one-day training session with The Institute of Driving Training & Research (IDTR). This

was designed to familiarize marshals with their assignment at the time of deployment.

The company also organized follow-up training sessions for marshals.

The company has also deployed security guards at the bus platforms on 24 hrs basis.

Corridor Manager has also hired one crane to remove disabled vehicles from the

corridor. Since April 2008, on an average 3 vehicles break down on the corridor each day

and all disabled vehicles including buses are removed in about 10 minutes response

time.

Corridor Manager also organized special three-days training sessions at IDTR for both

DTC and Private Stage Carriage drivers. It also organized one-day training sessions for

other drivers like school bus drivers etc. Over 700 drivers were trained and stipend was

paid to all blue line and contract carriage bus drivers to ensure attendance.

An introduction of the new system requires a change in behavioral pattern of the users.

To address this issue, the Corridor Manager designed and printed brochures for all types

of commuters, traffic Signage booklets for drivers and a list of do’s and donts’ for

general public. Wide distribution of this literature was ensured. Further, Bus queue

shelter (BQS) advertising space was used to educate people.

Corridor Manager also took an initiative to involve school authorities and children to

create awareness about the importance of public transportation system in Delhi. The

company communicated with more than 50 school authorities to address their concerns.

The company also conducted interactive sessions and made presentations in schools on

the BRT system and its key advantages.

The company has also installed PIS (Passenger Information System) boards on all the 58

BQS. Currently, GPS (Global Positioning System) is installed in the new low-floor buses

on four routes – 419, 423, 521 and 522. The boards also help to reduce the waiting

anxiety of passengers waiting at the BQS.

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Cleaning and landscaping are the key prime issue for the Corridor Manager. The

company ensures that all lanes, BQS and signage are cleaned on daily basis. State of art

mechanized cleaning equipment is deployed for the purpose

Traffic volume

Traffic volume on the BRT corridor is very high. The corridor is situated along some of

the prime colonies in South Delhi and is the main connecting road to the large

commercial development in Gurgaon. On the stretch from Dr. Ambedkar Nagar to

Moolchand, there are 6 key intersections, of which Chirag Delhi and Moolchand are the

busiest ones. According to a DIMTS Survey, Chirag Delhi is one of the busiest junctions in

Delhi.

More than 1.35 lakhs vehicles cross the junction in a day (16 hours). Motorised vehicles

consisting of cars, two wheelers and auto rickshaws constitute more than 90% of the

vehicle traffic, of which the number of cars/Jeeps constitute around 35-40% of total

motorized vehicles. These, however, carry only 15-20% of the total commuters. On the

other hand, buses account only for 2.0-2.5% of total vehicles, but carry around 55-60%

of the total commuters, thus using road space more democratically.

Approximately 200-250 buses move on Chirag Delhi Junction (the busiest section) during

peak hour, catering to passenger load of about 11,000 - 12,000 on an average day. It has

been observed that net throughput of all kinds of vehicles have significantly improved

after the implementation of the BRT and bus and cycle transit time through the corridor

has reduced.

Commuter socioeconomic profile

According to a DIMTS commissioned socio-economic survey at BRT Corridor, it is

observed that more than 60% of commuters use BRT Corridor mainly for work. Most of

the respondents showed their discontent with the existing public transportation system.

Respondents preferred to use their private vehicles due to inflexibility and unreliability

of the bus system. Regarding perceptions about a good bus system, more than 50% of

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respondents suggested timeliness of bus service, clean bus and well behaved staff and

certainty of bus service. The research agency also enquired about the willingness of the

respondents to use the BRT System. Interestingly, 85% of the respondents, who are

currently not using public transport system, showed their willingness to use new BRT

system if it is good.

The study clearly predicts that commuters are willing to shift to public transport system,

if the service delivery is improved and responds to their requirements and expectations.

Need of BRT Corridor

1) The coverage looses sight of the fact that every bus carries at least 40 passengers (in

fact, the way public buses in Delhi are overcrowded; this number can touch 80-100

at times). In contrast, a private vehicle in Delhi usually carries about 1 passenger. On

an average, it would carry less than 2 passengers.

Pollution per passenger in a bus is about 1-tenth of the pollution by the most fuel-

efficient (hence, less polluting) car on Delhi roads.

Fuel consumed by the buses in Delhi is much cleaner (CNG) than the fuel of an

average private car (petrol). This adds to public health benefits and saves the burden

on govt. health facilities (that they are not in good shape is another matter

altogether and a different point of discussion).

higher fuel consumption in private cars is actually a drain on India's forex reserves

According to Delhi govt. statistics 70-80% of road users are pedestrians, cyclists and

bus travelers.

According to Delhi traffic police statistics about 88% of fatalities in road accidents

involve the vulnerable 70-80% of road users (mentioned above).

When buses have to compete for road space, it creates problems. In recent times,

we have experienced hundreds of deaths by DTC buses and Blue Lines (remember

the recent campaigns).

Production of a private car wastes at least 10 times more raw materials per

passenger than a bus. This means more private vehicles are a "much bigger burden"

on the planet.

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2) Delhi government has in the past many years (except the few very recent ones)

promoted private transport at the cost of severely neglecting public transport.

Flyovers have been built left-right-and-center in various parts of the city. They

definitely speed up motor vehicles, but add to the plight of pedestrians and cyclists.

In fact, most of the flyovers don't even have mechanisms to allow pedestrians cross

the road.

While thousands of crores were spent on building such new infrastructure, DTC used

to get limited budget to upgrade its fleet of buses. This has thankfully seen some

change in the last year.

Even in this year's budget, the fly-over projects get more than 4-times the allocation

to DTC for fleet up gradation.

In earlier years, this ratio touched 8-10.

3) BRT is a project that upgrades the traffic sense of Delhi's commuters to safer levels.

It promotes lane driving

It offers higher priority to vehicles carrying larger number of passengers

It offers safe travel opportunity to the people who travel in an eco-friendly way

It prevents the kind of accidents that buses cause on other Delhi roads because they

have to compete for road space.

It makes roads safer for the huge majority of more vulnerable sections of the society

(many of whom can't even afford insurance in case of death or injury)

4) Every such up gradation project - a project that brings about a change - is bound to

see resistance from public. Even abolition of Sati saw resistance. It is in such times

that the newspapers should take the lead to ensure that such up gradations are

accepted more gracefully. It can be tried to interview a few bus commuters who

benefited from the faster and less rash travel in Blue-lines on that route.

5) Such projects that involve change in the way public behave are bound to see

glitches. We have to tweak our designs after testing it. When we write a piece of

article, we also review it and make changes.

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6) In the case of BRT, the government started with a pilot project (did not spend

exorbitantly on it when you compare it with numerous other flyover / construction

projects). It must have definitely made some miscalculations in traffic volumes at the

time of deciding the signaling duration etc. and hence landed itself into a mess. Such

long jams are clearly not desirable even for private vehicles.

7) Top article on front-page of one of the newspapers (27-Apr-2008) harped about the

Rs.4 cr additional cost in managing the Rs.60 crore project. This clearly is a 7.5%

increase in expenditure. However, to put it in perspective, this cost is almost

inconsequential when compared with the cost of other fly-over and road projects

operated by the Delhi Govt. In fact, many of those projects - of which the

government has so much of experience - also see similar and higher cost escalations.

This was the first project of its kind, and if this cost escalation happens, it can be

taken as a learning experience. While we should always bring financial impropriety

to light and such financial imprudence shouldn't be spared, we should give the

government enough leverage in the "first of its kind" initiatives, where they also

don't have prior experience.

Also DTC introduced A/C and also more comfortable buses on Delhi roads. At such times,

such corridors promote use of public transport and hence reduce pollution, vehicle

density, transport time and also curb inflation due to reduced fuel demand. Public

transport should definitely be promoted - even if at the cost of inconvenience to private

transport. Look at the example of Singapore where public transport (through taxis,

buses, MRTS etc.) is the preferred modes of travel. Hope Delhi becomes a world-class

city like that.

Hope that we give due weight to the additional safety and benefit that this corridor

offers to the majority of commuters in Delhi. If successful, we can hope to see better

road sense prevail in other parts of the city and many other Indian cities. Hope that we

respect the people who respect the environment and public health, as much as they

respect their commuting experience and travel time - either due to need or due to their

condition.

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Vehicle Composition in the Corridor

Congested Chandni Chowk to get its own BRT

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Despite the bus rapid transport (BRT) corridor leading to traffic snarls in south Delhi, a

similar plan is in the pipeline for thecrowded Walled City. The Chandni Chowk

redevelopment plan entails a dedicated bus corridor as part of the traffic circulation plan

for decongesting the area.

"One part of the central verge will be dedicated to special buses similar to the open-air

buses plying in Pragati Maidan while the other side will be for private vehicles to move

out of Chandni Chowk. A detailed project report of the redevelopment plan has been

submitted to Delhi Urban Art Commission (DUAC) for approval,'' said deputy

commissioner city zone, Vijay Singh.

According to Singh, this dedicated corridor is being built to encourage use of public

transport within Chandni Chowk.

Private vehicles entering from Delhi Gate and S P Mukherjee Marg will have to park in

Parade Ground and Gandhi Maidan respectively and take the bus inside Chandni Chowk

or walk inside. These vehicles will then exit from the Walled City via Town Hall, H C Sen

or Church Mission Road and will take the motor lane.

The idea of using trams as a mode of transport in Chandni Chowk has been put on hold.

Said Singh: "Special emphasis has been laid on pedestrian walkways. A space of 6 meters

has been dedicated on both sides on the road for footpaths. The cost of re-laying of the

main Chandni Chowk road along with other roads in the Walled City and carrying out

ducting of service lines is Rs 45crore approximately.

We will build centralized plazas around Fatehpuri Masjid, Town Hall and Lajpat Rai

Market which will serve as open public spaces.'' There are plans of reviving water canals

and other water bodies that once existed in Chandni Chowk.

The plans also includes facade improvement of government buildings. Shopkeepers will

be encouraged to restore the facades of their properties.

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Financial performance Analysis

The work construction of BRTC from Ambedkar Nagar to Delhi Gate was awarded by M/s

RITES in September 2006. The design approved for the corridor envisaged construction of

bus lane, MV lane, NMV lane and footpath in concrete pavement. The concrete road was

preferred for better strength, longer life and less periodic maintenance.

When the proposal came up for consideration in the 12th meeting of the EFC held on 28th

December 2005, the Chief Engineer PWD had stated that the scheme off RITES envisages

construction of cement concrete pavement. In other countries like Indonesia and China,

rigid pavements have not been provided. Cities like Jakarta, Beijing as well as Kunning, the

HCBS corridor system were using the existing lanes. Only one lane has been segregated by

providing a detachable railing. It is therefore felt that in Delhi also we should go for existing

flexible pavements for High Capacity Bus Corridors. This would not only reduce the cost of

the project but would save great inconvenience to the road users during the period of

construction.

Despite such strong reservations from the PWD department, Government went ahead with

cement concrete construction. However, it will not be out of place to mention that as per

the information furnished by transport department (December 2008), the expenditure on

C.C. pavement in Bus and MV lanes was 2320/- per sq. meter and the same was Rs. 1608/-

per sq. meter in the Bituminous pavement. The department incurred an excess expenditure

of Rs. 4.29 crore on construction of bus and M.V. lane of 110815 sq. meters in concrete

from Ambedkar Nagar to Chirag Delhi.

As mentioned earlier, BRT corridor is a dedicated lane carved out of an existing road which

has bituminous surface. Thus adoption of concrete surface for the BRT would result in same

stretch of road having two different pavement structures part of it concrete while the

remaining the remaining part is bituminous. Half way through the construction, the agencies

realized that there was difficulty in going ahead with a concrete surfacing as the deployment

of heavy mechanical pavers were posing serious problems and the cost on account of

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concrete was working out much higher than the estimates. The matter was placed before

the Cabinet and its approval obtained for switch over to Bituminous surfacing of MV lanes

and bus lanes beyond Chirag Delhi and cycle track & footpath only will be in concrete. There

was no recorded justification for retaining cycle track and footpath across the entire length

of corridor in concrete pavement against the bituminous surfacing which was cost effective.

It would thus be seen that there was no consistency in the bus design parameters of this

project. Government invested heavily in creating concrete structures for the BRT corridor,

which was later on abandoned after construction of only three kms.

As per allocation of business, road maintenance and construction of roads are the

responsibility of the Public Works Department. The BRT corridor is a dedicated lane within

the existing road network, its construction and maintenance should have legitimately been

allocated to the PWD. It is however, seen that the entire work of design construction and

supervision was entrusted to the Transport Department which had no technical expertise or

experience in taking up this kind of work.

Cabinets approval was obtained for assigning the entire work relating to implementation of

the BRT corridor by DIMTS on payment of consultancy fee of Rs. 1.50 crore, out of which a

sum of Rs. 44.97 lakh has been paid as of June 2008 for monitoring /supervision of the BRT

corridor. Rs. 6 crore were to be paid to RITES and Rs. 1.50 crore were to be paid to DIMTS.

During the test check of records for construction of above HCBS corridor, it has been

observed that an amount of Rs. 45.33 crore approved in the Expenditure Finance Committee

(EFC) in its meeting was withdrawn by the Transport Department and kept in fixed deposit.

That same amount was released to the concerned agencies i.e. Rs. 15 crore to RITES and Rs.

30.33 crore to DIMTS. Thus, the amount was withdrawn to avoid lapse of budget.

Rs. 30 crore as revolving fund was sanctioned and payment was made to RITES in November

2006. There is no enabling provision in General Financial Rules to empower State

Government to advance crore of Rupees to a Public Sector Undertaking for maintaining a

revolving fund, thus keeping large funds out of Consolidated Fund.

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Out of Rs. 100.33 crore released to DIMTS during October 2006 to October 2007, it released

only Rs. 48 crore during August 2007 to May 2008. Funds ranging from Rs. 10 crore to Rs.

90.33 crore were lying with DIMTS for the period ranging from 7 days to 7 months 2 days in

excess of the requirement. Even if the DIMTS had kept the spare funds in saving account it

could have earned interest of Rs. 2.32 crore. GNCTD should take measures to recover the

interest amount from DIMTS. Release of funds in excess of requirements tantamount to

undue financial assistance to DIMTS.

In the first phase, when Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit presided over an Expenditure and

Finance Committee (EFC) meeting to clear escalations in the cost of the Bus Rapid Transit

Corridor (BRTC) pilot project from Ambedkar Nagar to Delhi Gate she found that due to

escalation the cost of the BRT pilot project has risen from Rs 216 crore to Rs 361 crore.

Then the consultants for BRT project — DIMTS and RITES — had put up an additional

demand of Rs 119 crore for extra infrastructure on the Ambedkar Nagar-Delhi Gate corridor

in October 2008.

Strangely, the cost escalation increased to Rs 145 crore in March 2009 from Rs 119 crore in

October 2008 even as prices of steel and cement came down.

Recently, when Walia inspected the implementation of the present corridor said the

Transport Department had sought an additional amount of Rs. 54 crore to build more

parking space and foot-over bridges in the second phase of the project and eight foot over

bridges will be coming up on the stretch of which five will be built at bus stops and three will

built at other crossings.

The 14.5-km Ambedkar Nagar-Delhi Gate project being built at a cost of Rs.18.19 billion will

be a milestone for the infrastructure upgradation being carried out in the national capital

for the Commonwealth Games in 2010.

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A few days back, the EFC (Expenditure Finance Committee) of GNCTD has cleared the

proposal for undertaking these six BRT Corridors at a total cost of Rs. 1819.10 crore.

Execution of the Project will begin on clearance of the proposal by the Cabinet of GNCTD.

Cutting from Hindustan Times

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Defying Media Spin, Poll Shows Public Support for Delhi BRT

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Strategies for BRT

Marketing Strategy:

Ahmedabad BRTS has the best marketing strategy. The specialty of the Ahmedabad Janmarg

is that the best marketing strategy has been chosen, that of introducing free trials. The

people of Ahmedabad get to see the bus operations and provide feedback well before the

launch of the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS).

The best awareness campaign should have three elements -- the abilities to enable, educate

and enforce. And this should not be the other way round. The convention method of raising

awareness, by raising hoardings in order to educate people about something, may not work

as it may not explain the infrastructure of the system. The best way to make people

understand something like this is by making them part of the infrastructure.

Although there is scope for improvement in respect to the waiting space at intersections,

safety of pedestrians while crossing the road, traffic engineering etc.

Reality Check:

Car vs. bus drivers

• 65 per cent of car drivers feel the Bus Rapid Transit System(BRT) has made traffic

congestion worse in the areas where the BRT runs.

• A whopping 75 per cent of bus drivers say the BRT is a huge improvement for buses.

• More than 50 per cent of car drivers say that the new bus stops in the middle of the road

do not make driving more difficult.

• Bus drivers say it's easier to pick up passengers from the new bus stops and 72 per cent of

them say the middle-ofthe-road stops are working better than the earlier system.

• Most car drivers, 76 per cent, however, say that they are worried about hitting pedestrians

crossing the road.

• 61 per cent of car drivers say driving is easier now that buses have their own lane bus

drivers.

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• 82 per cent of them say the new bus lanes for them make driving easier.

Bus passengers

• 88 per cent of bus commuters feel the new BRT and its buses are an improvement on

Delhi's public transport system

• 71 per cent believe it will help in reducing travel time - most bus users say their commute

time has already been slashed by 50 per cent after the BRT was introduced.

• 60 per cent of bus commuters say there are enough Marshals and traffic policemen to

help guide them to their buses.

The scope of transit marketing

Promotional tools are a must to ensure strategic marketing. The tools are branding and

positioning, targeted marketing and special events. They also include customer information,

fare, incentives etc.

When transit customers board a bus or train, they are not just participating in a transaction

— they are making transit an integral part of their lives. Transit systems have responded

with a customer-centered approach to marketing that moves beyond the conventional

"product, pricing, promotion and placement" approach to product marketing. The full scope

of transit marketing involves a broad range of actions to identify and meet customer needs.

These include service planning and promotion, setting of fare structures and levels, public

information and education, and management of community and customer relations. All

these actions involve an iterative cycle of researching customer needs and strategic

opportunities, planning and implementing measures, then evaluating and reviewing

objectives and tactics.

Key challenges

Transit marketers face several unique challenges that are not shared by their colleagues in

more conventional areas of product marketing.

Diverse customer needs: The transit market includes a variety of groups including students,

seniors and commuters. Each of these groups has different interests and lifestyles; each

travels for different purposes; each chooses transit for different reasons; each responds to

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different messages; and each is best reached in different ways. This diversity requires

marketers to think and work in multiple, parallel channels.

The challenge of selling social benefits: Traditional marketing works by emphasizing a

product’s direct benefits to consumers. However, transit provides several vital community

benefits (social, economic and environmental) that can also be used to attract riders.

Finding strategies to carry these social marketing messages effectively, however, requires

creativity.

Service development constraints: Transit systems are constrained in their ability to add or

modify services in support of marketing objectives. Municipal budgets are limited, the

logistics of route and schedule changes can be complex, and transit systems must mind their

social objectives as well as their business goals. These factors can make it difficult for transit

systems to respond quickly to new market opportunities.

Limited resources: While effective marketing need not be expensive, it must compete for

resources with the day-to-day operating needs of transit systems. By definition, marketing

opportunities are almost limitless. It is a constant challenge to identify innovative, cost-

effective strategies and delivery mechanisms that make the best use of available dollars.

Strategy: Branding & positioning: Every transit system works to develop a positive brand,

which is the sum of the perceptions and experiences of its customers. As such, a transit

system’s brand plays a large role in influencing the attitudes and travel decisions of both

riders and non-riders.

Brand creation or enhancement: Marketing tools can reshape or enhance a transit system’s

brand. The goal is to improve the competitive position of transit services, relative to car

travel, as perceived by current and potential customers.

Positioning campaigns: Marketing tools can also be used more subtly to position transit as

an attractive and beneficial public service. A common positioning strategy is the

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development of messaging campaigns to strengthen the public perception of transit as a

smart and sensitive way to get around.

Strategy: Targeted marketing

While branding and positioning strategies target a wide public audience, more selective

approaches can bring other benefits. Targeted marketing campaigns let transit systems offer

customized information to specific audiences like commuters, students, festival patrons,

families on weekend outings, or tourists. “Individualized marketing" is an emerging form of

targeted marketing. It uses one-on-one consultation to identify and overcome obstacles that

prevent individuals from taking transit more often.

Strategy: Special events

Transit marketers know that special events can encourage non-users to try transit, and

create opportunities for free media exposure. A special event revolving around a major

public concern like air quality can boost visibility and ridership while also benefiting a transit

system’s brand and competitive position.

Strategy: Customer information

Transit marketers know that potential customers can be discouraged when information is

hard to find or understand. As a result, they have made rider guides and schedules easier to

read and interpret, and expanded customer information onto the Internet with cutting-edge

technologies like web-based trip planners. New operational and communications

technologies have led to realtime arrival displays and multipurpose video displays at

passenger terminals and bus stops. Such tools offer more than information.

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Human Resource(HR) Strategy:

As an HR practice, “BRT Training Workshops” were held for the resources recruited for top

level management for BRT in order to train them in the following domains.

Overview of BRT planning

Demand analysis

Operational plan / Customer

Marketing plan / Stakeholder analysis

BRT infrastructure

Modal integration

Infrastructure design

Technology plan

Business and regulatory plan

Financing

BRT budget

Measuring the impacts

Implementation plan

Finance Strategy:

To complete the BRT project, as envisaged now with six corridors, would cost the

Delhi government Rs 2,100 crore

Govt. released Rs 12 crore for construction of a parking lot and a portion of the road

to help reduce the traffic load on the Moolchand-Ambedkar Nagar stretch

When 50 per cent work on the project was completed Rs 115 crore had already been

spent.

SWOT Analysis

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STRENGTHS

1. Bus only, grade-separated (or at-grade exclusive) right-of-way : The main feature of a

BRT system is having dedicated bus lanes which operate separate from all other traffic

modes. This allows buses to operate at a very high level of reliability since only

professional motorists are allowed on the busway. A side benefit of this are lower

construction costs since busways can be engineered to tighter standards and still remain

safe compared to a roadway open to non-professional drivers.

o Such a right of way may be elevated; on rare occasions, the right of way may be a

modified rail right of way.

o A bus street or transit mall can be created in an urban center by dedicating all

lanes of a city street to the exclusive use of buses.

o Low-cost infrastructure elements that can increase the speed and reliability of

bus service include bus turnouts, bus boarding islands, and curb realignments.

However, the biggest benefit of this corridor will turn out to be uninterrupted traffic

flow because of the segregated bus lanes in the centre of the Road. What has been the

real cause of traffic jams is the mix of vehicles being driven on different speeds with

different routes to follow. But now it’s all going to be specific for all range of vehicles.

2. Level boarding : Many BRT systems also use low floor buses (or high level platforms with

high floor buses) to speed up passenger boarding and enhance accessibility. It has been

observed that it is very difficult for the women, senior citizens and the physically

challenged people to board the buses because of their stairs being at certain height, But

corridor comes to its rescue in a way that the height of the platforms has been matched

to that of the floor of the buses, so that passengers from all ranges can travel

comfortably. Not only the boarding and landing will be eased up but also the accidents

or the injury ratio will come down dramatically. It will increase the speed with which

passengers can board and come out so saving the time of both, themselves and the bus

as well and it might be able to take one more round on the day on an average term.

3. Saves Time And Money : As BRT intends to provide a service that is of a higher

speed than an ordinary bus line, it is obvious that it will save a lot of time of the

commuters. As observed it used to take somewhere around 35-45 minutes for crossing

area ambedkar nagar to delhi gate but now after corridor it takes only 25-30 minutes

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which will further lessen after some improvements in the structure. Apart from this as

the people reach home early it directly saves there fuel and thereby money. It is

assumed that cars takes anything less than half the time taken by the bus to cover the

same distance, but in these corridors there would largely remain any difference in time

taken to reach same destination. So it will also increase the customer base and the

number of person using public transport will be on a roll and thus it would further

reduce traffic on the roads and thus bringing further efficiency.

4. Reduction In Accidental Rate : This corridor is an answer to ‘killer line’ or the ‘blue line’.

The reasons for so many accidents taking place on the roads with the buses was the

merging of different sorts of traffics and the crowdiness. But corridors comes to the

rescue in a way that now it will be separate lane for the buses and separate for other

motor vehicles like bikes, scooters, cars, etc. it is expected that it will lower down the

accidental rates dramatically.

Now it is also that slow moving vehicles like bicycles, rikshaws, bullock carts, pedestrians

can all move in their respective lanes without feeling the threat of those over speeding

cars and bulky buses and trucks. They can move on as per their convenience and on

their own speed. Also it will not interrupt further traffic and thus would not become the

cause of traffic jams thereof.

5. Urban Rejuvenation : Once these corridors are made in any city, it definitely adds up to

its infrastructural values and its level of urbanization. The flaunting of these corridors

makes city look descent, disciplined, and stable as well. As the flyovers and underpasses

adds up to its credentials , same way BRT corridors do but at higher rates even. The city

definitely becomes the talk of the day and also it is been appreciated by the local

commuters, national tourists and commuters and finally by international tourists.

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WEAKNESSES

1. Scarcity of Space : The biggest of the weakness of this BRT corridor is the limitation on

the part of availability of space to construct this Corridor. Well successful implementation of

this corridor, separate lanes have to be constructed for the high capacity buses, for different

motor vehicles and also a different lane for slow moving vehicles and the pedestrians as

well. It means that a total of 4 lanes are mandatory on each side of the road. Moreover

motor vehicle would individually demand two adjacent lanes looking at heavy traffic of this

type. Because of this deficiency, traffic jam problem could not arrive at a solution, and

rather problem has actually stiffened due to reason that thousands of light motor vehicles

travels every hour which needs more space. So non performance space management has

become its most severe weakness. Most of the roads of delhi are just 12-15 metre wide,

which are half of the requirements. To make shelters also a lot of space will be required

which further needs expansion of roads .

2. Safety Compromised : In order to meet the deadlines of common wealth games , delhi’s

safety is compromised . even geneva based International Road Federation has expressed

concern at the safety and feasibility of this corridor and called for its immediate stacking.

Latest example of this negligence is the crater on the BRT Corridor pathway which states

that these corridors are constructed without prior testing of roads. The compatibility of the

current roads is not checked to ensure further construction on them, which results in

accidents and injuries only and even deaths sometimes. Since October 2007 to February

2008, there has been 12 major accidents with 4 of them leading to death.

3. Lack Of Proper Planning : lack of efficient planning made the BRT come across hard

situation. If this corridor would have been planned properly keeping in mind all the

parameters affecting it, it might result into a benefit for the city. Planning with respect to

how to go about it, in which areas to make it and what should be the components, so that

the things happens to be as per the requirements of the city. Planning should have been

given the edge over just the implementation part as it has been Emphasized upon b y the

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.

4. Lack of technical knowledge : just by copying the western countries, Corridor has been

made in Delhi as well, but the reason for its turmoil is the lack of technical knowledge as to

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how to proceed for these corridors, without going into research work with respect to

whether delhi needs it at the moment. Just copying is not going to benefit, it is also

mandatory to know whether it is required or not. Moreover the structures which are

created outside India, in countries like America, Europe etc.. are way ahead advanced with

latest technologies which are installed in them. Also before creating , they also see to

requirements of bro0adning the road width, which was absent in the case of Indian roads to

a large extent.

OPPORTUNITIES

1. Bus priority / bus lanes : Preferential treatment of buses at intersections can involve the

extension of green time or actuation of the green light at signalized intersections upon

detection of an approaching bus. Intersection priority can be particularly helpful when

implemented in conjunction with bus lanes or streets, because general-purpose traffic

does not intervene between buses and traffic. Large green signals would allow passing of

traffics quickly.

2. Off-bus fare collection : Conventional on board fare collection slows the boarding

process, particularly when a variety of fares are collected for different destinations

and/or classes of passengers. An alternative would be the collection of fares upon

entering an enclosed bus station or shelter area prior to bus arrivals (similar to fare

collection at a kiosk prior to entering a subway system). This system would allow

passengers to board through all doors of a stopped bus.

3. Increased capacity (bi-articulated or double decker) : Another benefit of this corridor is

that now it is possible to run high capacity buses normally called as double decker.

Earlier it was difficult to run these buses because of limitation of space with respect to

clear width and height as well, but this brt corridor takes care of all issues and is created

in a way that nothing can stop them, no pole, no wire to interrupt etc.

4. Serves a diverse market with high-frequency all day service : A BRT network with

comprehensive coverage can serve a diverse market (all income ranges) by moving

people from their current location to their destination with high frequency and reliability

while maintaining a high level of customer experience.

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In view of the commonwealth games which will be held in October ,2010. , it is expected that the

work of these corridors would be finished way before its deadlines. Moreover these kinds of projects

generally requires huge funds and delhi government is definitely eager to invest on it looking at its

benefits to come in the coming years. So these games are an opportunity which needs to be grabbed

as early as possible.

THREATS

1. Road Congestion : The biggest threat to the existence of the BRT corridor is the

congested roads not in the context of traffic but with respect to width which is not sufficient

on most of the roads for segregation. If we segregate the road for the buses and the other

vehicles, the problem is that buses would be able to move swiftly but the problem will be

for thousands of other vehicles which will have to use area which is less than earlier. The

frequency of buses is just 10% of that of other vehicles, so it is totally unfair that both kind

of vehicles uses same space when the difference in their frequencies is almost 8-10 times.

However the widening of roads could have been an ideal solution of this problem, but the

difficulty in implementing this is that there is not enough space available along both the

sides to expand the road width. Availability of service lanes can be helpful, but they are not

that wide at every road and even at some points they do not even exist. So the planners will

have to deal with it before they actually start making it, otherwise it would result into

nothing but the wastage of time, money , and efforts and also roads would get busy

meanwhile.

Min. Width Comfortable Width

1. Bicycles only 1.5m 1.8m

2. Bicycles and Passenger Rickshaws 1.8m 2.0m

3. Bicycles and Goods Rickshaws 2.0m 2.2m

4. Passenger and Goods Rickshaw 2.2m 2.5m

5. Heavy Goods Rickshaw traffic 2.5m 3.0m

2. Failure Of First Stretch : The stretch from Ambedkar Nagar to Delhi Gate has been a big

failure which increases the odds against the corridor. If this corridor would have been an

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success then there not have been anybody opposing it. But the problems, which came into

limelight after its construction, have posed an threat to its future. To evade from this threat,

the government will have to consider each and every problem, their causes and the

probable solutions so that it comes to the rescue of the delhi commuters.

3. No Prior Tests : In view of the CommonWealth Games, the constructors are in a hurry to

implement these projects, but the only result would be loss, loss and loss for the citizens of

delhi. The implications of this hurry would be that the corridors would be constructed prior

to tests which should be undertaken after checking their compatibility. So the quality with

which they would be made will be way lower than expected, and the consequence of it

would be that after few years only they might be required to made again quiet early and

thus again investment, wastage of money, time and effort.

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Recommendations

Mr. Manoj Aggarwal, Head of Transport DIMTS said, “The concept of BRTS was designed

and devised to empower each and every citizen of Delhi. We have made special efforts to

ensure that persons with reduced mobility/ disabilities / visual impairment / hearing

impairment have ease and convenience while commuting on the corridor. We are also

thankful to Samarthyam for their support and we have ensured that their recommendations

have been incorporated to make the BRT corridor easy and convenient to navigate.”

According to Mr. Sanjeev Sachdeva, Founder Member, Samarthyam, “We appreciate the

efforts of DIMTS that has made the dream of accessible transportation for the public a

reality through the BRTS. We have been actively involved in studying this corridor and have

given our suggestions to DIMTS on a regular basis. DIMTS has considered the specific

requirements for differently-abled persons that would allow them from traveling

comfortably. The new buses that would be plying on the BRT corridor will have low floors

and would also be equipped with a ramp to enable people to board and disembark

conveniently. In addition, these buses would also have reserved space to accommodate

wheelchairs apart from having audio announcements and digital display for the hearing and

visually impaired”.

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Interpretation

Delhi Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) – a boon or a bane?

This trial corridor, going through the extended South Delhi, is undergoing trials and every

day we are treated to the specter of day long traffic jams. It is good for the newspapers as

they can scream “bloody murder!” with banner headlines, and they do. I think the situation

was equally bad even when the corridor was being built. It looked very much that not much

lessons were learned form the construction procedural aspects of Delhi Metro.

But one good thing indeed is happening. The lawlessness of Delhi traffic is for every one to

see; no one can hide it: lane driving is for the birds. If it is a designated bus lane, you will

know it by counting the number of cars on it, which will be non-zero within any time interval

at a control section. “How dare the pedestrians cross the street when I am driving through

the red signal?” I heard a car driver screaming. The notorious Blue Line buses do not stop

the buses at the stops but park them to pick up as many passengers as possible – nothing

but the usual.

The above scenes are witnessed when the number of traffic patrolmen outnumbers the

number of vehicles. One thing for sure – BRTS will give a boost to employment on this

count!

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CONCLUSIONS

Third model for Delhi BRT corridor

Even as the fate of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor from Ambedkar Nagar to Delhi Gate

remains uncertain, the government has finalized a third design for the next corridor being

planned in northeast Delhi from Shastri Park to Karawal Nagar. This time, the government

has come up with a new model in which buses in both directions will run on one side of the

existing road. Sources said this will help provide an exclusive passage for buses without

disturbing traffic on the main road. In the new model, the existing road will not be

disturbed. The 15-km stretch from Shastri Park to Karawal Nagar runs along Yamuna Pushta,

where the land is largely for agricultural use. The plan is to widen the road from this side by

about 8 metres and construct a dedicated corridor for buses on one side of the road. By

doing this, the problems faced in the existing corridor — traffic snarls due to road space

being eaten into by the dedicated bus lane in the first model (Pilot A from Ambedkar Nagar

to Moolchand) and then conflict of vehicles turning into establishments along both sides of

the corridor in Pilot B (Moolchand to Delhi Gate) — will not be encountered. After burning

its fingers with two BRT different models on the pilot corridor, in which buses run on the

extreme right (Pilot A) and extreme left lane (Pilot B) of the main road, the government has

decided not to go ahead with either for the next BRT corridor.

‘‘The new model will have the bus lanes on the side of the road where there is no

habitation,’’ said an official. The new model will be a close-loop BRT, where the transport

department will have the advantage of adding as many buses as possible. The bus lane will

be created by widening the existing road. Also, footpaths will be redone and cycle tracks will

be added. The transport department anticipates problems at three intersections — Khajuri

Khas, Shastri Park and Bhajanpura — during construction, which will also get sorted out

once the bus lane is constructed. The corridor will have 30 bus stops and there is a proposal

to extend it to Bhajanpura and Gandhi Nagar. The corridor will also have automated

ticketing at all bus shelters. The major difference in this corridor and the existing one is the

population demographics of the road. According to a survey, the share of non-motorized

vehicles like cycles and cycle rickshaws is as high a 53.8% here, while the share of private

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cars ranges between 12-16%. The number of two wheelers (seen as prospective bus users) is

also very high as it ranges between 21.8 and 42.5% on the road. The survey took into

account traffic on Gandhi Nagar Road, GT Road, Shastri Park-ISBT Road, Yamuna Marginal

Bund Road and Wazirabad Road (see graphic). A detailed project report (DPR) has been

prepared by DIMTS and sent to the government for sanction of funds. The cost of the new

BRT model has been worked out to Rs 20 crore per kilometre, including all the systems,

which is about the same as the existing models. Sources said the corridor will become

operational only after the Commonwealth Games.

Running Ways

BRT systems in the United States have incorporated all types of running ways – mixed flow

arterial operation (Los Angeles, Honolulu), mixed flow freeway operation (Phoenix),

dedicated arterial lanes (Boston, Orlando), at-grade transitways (Miami), and fully

gradeseparated surface transitways (Pittsburgh), and subways (Seattle, Boston in late 2004).

The only application in the United States of running way guidance occurred in Las Vegas

with optical guidance used to provide precision docking at stations. The use of unique

running way markings to differentiate BRT running ways was rare, with the use of signing

and striping the most common form. This suggests that articulation of brand identity to

running ways is still not yet widespread.

There has been a broad range of sophistication and design attention in BRT stations.

Almost universally, BRT station designs are significantly different than those of standard

local bus stops, while the level of investment in the stations has generally been related to

the level of investment in running way infrastructure. Exclusive transitways are most often

paired with the most extensive and elaborate station infrastructure. Most systems

incorporated stations designed to allow passing of vehicles at stations through the use of

either adjacent mixed flow lanes or passing lanes. Only one system in the United States has

platforms high enough to allow level boarding. The mix of station amenities varied across

systems. The most common station amenities were seating and trash receptacles. Many

systems (e.g., Los Angeles Metro Rapid, Boston’s Silver Line, Las Vegas MAX, and AC

Transit’s Rapid Bus System) have real-time schedule and/or vehicle arrival information.

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Communications infrastructure such as public telephones and emergency telephones are

starting to be installed in systems.

Most systems have intermodal transfer facilities where there are specially designed

interfaces with other bus services and rapid rail systems (e.g., Los Angeles, Miami).

Stations including park and ride facilities are generally part of systems with exclusive

transitways (e.g., Miami-Dade South Busway, Pittsburgh Busways).

Vehicles

Early BRT systems used standard vehicles that were often identical to the rest of a particular

agency’s fleet. A mix of standard and articulated vehicles reflects the different levels of

demand and capacity requirements across BRT systems. Three systems, Los Angeles Metro

Rapid, AC Transit’s Rapid Bus, and Boston’s Silver Line, began operation with standard size

40-foot buses with and are phasing in 60-foot articulated buses as demand grows.

The use of vehicle configurations or aesthetic enhancements to differentiate BRT is gaining

momentum. Some agencies have recently added differentiated liveries, logos, and color to

these vehicles as a way to differentiate BRT service from other service. As agencies become

more conscious of the visual impact of vehicles, they are slowly incorporating Stylized

versions of their Conventional Standard and Articulated vehicles. The only case of the use of

a Specialized BRT Vehicle is in Las Vegas.

Fare Collection

Use of alternate fare collection processes has been rare in the United States. The only

implementation of anything other than a Pay On-Board process is the proof-of-payment

system associated with the Las Vegas MAX system. Anecdotal observations suggest that

The dwell times at high demand stations of some BRT systems has increased significantly as

demand for BRT systems have grown. Over-all running times and reliability, therefore, have

been negatively affected. This indicates an opportunity to introduce fare collection

processes that allow for multiple-door boarding.

Electronic fare collection using magnetic-stripe cards or smart cards is slowly being

incorporated into BRT systems, but implementation is largely driven by agency-wide

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implementation rather than BRT-specific implementation. Smart cards are gaining wider

application than magnetic-stripe cards among BRT systems.

The most common ITS applications include Transit Signal Priority, Advanced Communication

Systems, Automated Scheduling and Dispatch Systems, and Real-Time Traveler Information

at Stations and on Vehicles. Installation of Security Systems such as emergency telephones

at stations and closed circuit video monitoring is rare, but increasing as newer, more

comprehensive systems are implemented.

Service and Operating Plans

In general, the structure of the routes correlated with the degree of running way exclusivity.

The service plan for systems using at-grade arterial lanes, either in mixed flow or designated

lanes generally incorporated a single BRT route replacing an existing local route or a single

BRT route following the same route as a local route, which has its frequency reduced. For

example, AC Transit’s Rapid Bus, Las Vegas RTC’s MAX, Los Angeles Metro’s Metro Rapid

have a single BRT route overlaid on a local route. Station spacing, generally between 0.5 and

1.0 miles for the BRT route, was higher than that of the local route. Service plans for

systems that use exclusive transitways (Miami-Dade’s at-grade South Busway and

Pittsburgh’s grade-separated transitways) are operated with integrated networks of routes

that include routes that serve all stops and a variety of feeders and expresses with

integrated off-line and line-haul operation. Service frequencies correlated with demand in

the respective corridors. Individual BRT systems on arterials operated with headways

between 5 and 15, with Boston and Los Angeles operating shorter combined headways in

some corridors. Services operating on Pittsburgh’s exclusive running ways have the lowest

combined headways observed in the United States for BRT, approximately 1 minute along

the trunk transitway at the maximum load point.

Travel Time

With respect to total BRT travel times, BRT projects with more exclusive running ways

generally experienced the greatest travel time savings compared to the local bus route.

Exclusive transitway projects operated at a travel time rate of 2 to 3.5 minutes per mile

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(between 17 and 30 miles per hour). Arterial BRT projects in mixed flow traffic or designated

lanes operated between 3.5 and 5 minutes per mile (between 12 and 17 miles per hour).

Performance in reliability also demonstrated a similar pattern.

Reliability

As expected, systems with more exclusive transitways demonstrated the most reliability and

the least schedule variability and bunching. The ability to track reliability changes has been

limited by the fact that most transit agencies do not regularly measure this performance

attribute. Passenger surveys, however, indicate that reliability is important for attracting and

retaining passengers. New automated vehicle location systems, may allow for the objective

and conclusive measurement of reliability.

Image and Identity

Performance in achieving a distinct brand identity for BRT has been measured by in-depth

passenger surveys. The more successful BRT systems have been able to achieve a distinct

identity and position in the respective region’s family of transit services. BRT passengers

generally had higher customer satisfaction and rated service quality higher for BRT systems

than for their parallel local transit services.

Safety and Security

Data measuring the difference in safety and security of BRT systems as compared with the

rest of the respective region’s transit system have not been collected. Drawing conclusions

about the efficacy of BRT elements in promoting safety and security is therefore premature.

Data from Pittsburgh suggest that BRT operations on exclusive transitways have significantly

fewer accidents per unit (vehicle mile or vehicle hour) of service than conventional local

transit operations in mixed traffic. Customer perceptions of “personal safety” or security

reveal that customers perceive BRT systems to be safer than the rest of the transit system.

Capacity

For virtually all BRT systems implemented in the United States, capacity has not been an

issue. To date, none of them have been operated at their maximum capacity. On all

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systems, there is significant room to expand operated capacity by operating larger vehicles,

higher frequencies, or both.

Ridership

There have been significant increases in transit ridership in virtually all corridors where BRT

has been implemented. Though much of the ridership increases have come from passengers

formerly using parallel service in other corridors, passenger surveys have revealed that

much of the increased number of trips have been made by individuals that used to drive or

be driven, passengers that use to make the same trip by walking (e.g., the Boston’s Silver

Line Phase I) and by passengers taking advantage of BRT’s improved level of service to make

trips that were not made by any mode previously.

Increases in BRT ridership have come from both individuals that used to use transit and

totally new transit users that have access to automobiles.

Aggregate analyses of ridership survey results suggest two conclusions:

The ridership impact of BRT implementation has been comparable to that experienced with

LRT investment of similar scope and complexity

The ridership increases due to BRT implementation exceed those that would be expected as

the result of simple level of service improvements. The implication here is that the identity

and passenger information advantages of BRT are seen positively by potential BRT

customers when they make their travel decisions.

Capital Cost Effectiveness

BRT demonstrates relatively low capital costs per mile of investment. It is worth noting,

however, that recently implemented BRT systems have focused on less capital-intensive

investments. More capital intensive investments will begin service in the next few years.

Depending on the operating environment, BRT systems are able to achieve service quality

improvements (such as travel time savings of 15 to 25 percent and increases in reliability)

and ridership gains that compare favorably to the capital costs and the short amount of time

to implement BRT systems. Furthermore, BRT systems are able to operate with lower ratios

of vehicles compared to total passengers.

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Operating Cost Efficiency

BRT systems are able to introduce higher operating efficiency and service productivity into

for transit systems that incorporate them. Experience shows that when BRT is introduced

into corridors and passengers are allowed to choose BRT service, corridor performance

indicators (such as passengers per revenue hour, subsidy per passenger mile, and subsidy

per passenger) improve. Furthermore, travel time savings and higher reliability enables

transit agencies to operate more vehicle miles of service from each vehicle hour operated.

Environmental Quality

Documentation of the environmental impacts of BRT systems is rare. Experience does show

that there is improvement to environmental quality due to a number of factors. Ridership

gains suggest that some former automobile users are using transit as a result of BRT

implementation. Transit agencies are serving passengers with fewer hours of operation,

potential reducing emissions. Most importantly, transit agencies are adopting vehicles with

alternative fuels, propulsion systems, and pollutant emissions controls. Progress in reducing

emissions of particulate matter and oxides of nitrogen is on pace to meet standards

imposed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

This edition of the CBRT represents a snapshot of BRT experience as of the summer of 2004.

It contains a wealth of data and information, but there is much about BRT that can be

explored further. This is why the CBRT is intended to be a dynamic document, one that

evolves along with the experience of the transit community with BRT. As the number and

sophistication of BRT applications increases, CBRT will reflect this experience in future

editions. Data on system experience in future editions will allow for the analyses to be more

robust and for lessons learned to be more definitive. The FTA encourages the use of CBRT as

a key tool to disseminate information on the evolution of BRT to the transit community.

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Bibliography

Wikepedia.org

Delhi Transport Journal

Need for BRT in Delhi, 2005, Kapil Nath, Govt of NCT of Delhi

BRT Designsum, Dec 2005, TRIPP, Govt of NCT of Delhi

Ay, M. A., “Using Ordered Probit Modeling to Study the Effect of ATIS on Transit Ridership”,

Pergamon Transportation Research Part C, 2001

Darido, Georges, Managing Conflicts Between the Environment and Mobility: The

Case of Road-Based Transportation and Air Quality in Mexico City, MIT, 2000

Diaz, Roderick and Donald Schneck, Bus Rapid Transit – An Overview, presentation by

Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. Washington, DC

Fleishman, Daniel, Carol Schweiger, David Lott, and George Pierlott, Multipurpose Transit


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