In a bid to improve the last-mile access to Metro stations, the World Resource Institute (WRI) along with the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has launched the Station Access and Mobility Programme in the city.
“There are Metro systems being developed all across the country including Mumbai and the one issue that they all have is that people are not able to come to the station very easily. It has been a big challenge for last-mile and first-mile connectivity,” O.P. Agarwal, CEO, WRI India, said.
The programme aims at enabling public-private partnership by launching a challenge to seek innovative data and technology-based solutions to improve crowd management and connectivity to the Mumbai Metro. Participants will be asked to submit their solution after which a jury will select the best solutions. The person or startup whose idea is selected will be given a grant and an opportunity to implement the project at any one station of Mumbai Metro One.
“This initiative will promote entrepreneurs and startups with innovative ideas. They will get an opportunity to implement their ideas on a station,” R.A. Rajeev, metropolitan commissioner, MMRDA, said. Mumbai will be the fourth city for the programme after having implemented it in Bengaluru, Kochi and Hyderabad.
Madhav Pai, director, WRI India Ross Centre for Sustainable Cities, said the best idea will be selected by September and the the winner will get a six- to nine-month period to implement their solution on a pilot basis. “They can implement at one station and if the solution works it can be scaled up to include other stations as well,” Mr Pai said.
While the city has just one metro corridor, two more are expected to be commissioned by mid 2020. Mumbai Metro One, carries nearly 4.5 lakh passenger everyday.
