Stakeholders of the Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA-Kochi) have expressed hope that the Kerala Metropolitan Transport Authority (KMTA) Bill that was tabled in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday will provide a fillip to the seamless integration of public transportation modes in the Greater Kochi area.
Unlike in other cities in Kerala, the area is unique since it has a metro rail system and a ferry network that are likely to witness a revolutionary change with the introduction of the ₹747-crore Water Metro network in December 2019. The city is also set to roll out Kerala’s first batch of electric autorickshaws in a month, said an official who is associated with improving Kochi’s urban transportation network. The three major cities in the State must urgently be brought under KMTA since the number of private buses has fallen from 35,000 about 15 years ago to less than 12,000 now.
KMRL managing director A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish, who is also the chairman of UMTA-Kochi, said that UMTA-Kochi will function under KMTA. “This will streamline metro’s feeder services and increase the efficiency of public transport systems,” he said. As per the National Urban Mobility Policy, UMTA is mandatory for cities having population of over 5 lakh. Moreover, the Centre giving its nod for the proposed extension of the metro rail to Kakkanad, Angamaly, etc., hinges on the city having such an Authority. The Greater Kochi area falls within areas coming under the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) and the Goshree Islands Development Authority (GIDA), which will be the areas of primary focus for UMTA. The State government can take a call on extending the areas further to the suburbs or even border towns of nearby districts, citing viability of different modes of public transport, benefiting a larger number of commuters.
The situation in the three cities and other major towns is that the share of public transport has fallen from about 80% two decades ago to less than 50% now, officials said.
