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Mumbai, state, woefully short of bus services, finds ITDP study

Jan 17, 2025 08:40 AM IST

Mumbai: An analysis by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), a global organisation chiefly studying public transport, shows that not just Mumbai but its metropolitan region (MMR) and rest of the state’s urban cities are facing a severe shortage of buses operated for public transportation

Mumbai: An analysis by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), a global organisation chiefly studying public transport, shows that not just Mumbai but its metropolitan region (MMR) and rest of the state’s urban cities are facing a severe shortage of buses operated for public transportation.

Mumbai, state, woefully short of bus services, finds ITDP study
Mumbai, state, woefully short of bus services, finds ITDP study

As per the data, MMR, including Mumbai where BEST buses ply, requires 15,600 buses. However, the study shows that as of March 2022, there were only 4,688 buses available with various bus transport undertakings. The study states that the latest analysis sheds light on this crisis, and highlights the urgent need to expand urban bus services statewide.

The study shows that of the 4,688 buses, BEST has 3,380 buses (data from March 2022; the current strength is even lower, at 2,878 buses). The remaining 1,000-odd ones, run by the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), ply in Thane, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivali, Vasai-Virar, Mira-Bhayandar. The experts from ITDP said that as Maharashtra gears up for its state budget, a critical issue demands urgent attention: namely, that 30 out of 44 cities in the state lack formal urban bus services, and even in the 14 cities with public transport, the services fall alarmingly short of basic benchmarks.

“It is critical for Maharashtra’s new government to prioritise buses in the upcoming budget,” said Aswathy Dilip, managing director of ITDP India. “Allocating at least 1,000 crore to address even 20% of the fleet deficit can make a significant difference.”

The 44 cities sans bus services need at least 24,000 new buses, which will have multifarious positive impacts on the ecology and economy apart from dramatically improving urban mobility. “Introducing 24,000 new buses can lead to the removal of 19 lakh cars and 30 lakh two-wheelers trips from Maharashtra roads daily,” said Vaishali Singh, programme manager, Transport Systems and Electric Mobility, ITDP India. “The analysis uses data from the March 2022 report of the Central Institute of Road Transport, Pune, for consistency. While in the last two years, a few Maharashtra cities have added some new e-buses, many have also been retired from service in the same time frame. So, the larger issue of bus deficit remains.”

In the event of all the requisite new buses being introduced, the reduction in Co2 emissions, amounting to nearly 30,000 tonnes annually, will be akin to growing and nurturing 4,96,053 trees for 10 years, says the study. Sources said that despite the ongoing PM E-Bus Sewa Scheme and MSRTC’s procurement of more e-buses, there was still a huge deficit in the number of buses needed.

Sudhir Badami, transport expert and author of ‘Matter of Equitability—Making Commuting in Mumbai Enviable’, said that when all the metro rail corridors were up and running, MMR would still be 20% short of the requisite public transport, and the government thus should push for a premium and a regular Bus Rapid Transit System.

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