India’s road to seamless commutes waits for rules

A framework has to be created for all participants in transport system to play together by sharing fares and modes

Bengaluru is set to open up its real time data on the movement of city buses to app developers in about a month. See here is a massive traffic jam on Airport road near BDA junction.

Technology-driven efforts to modernise public transport are being pursued in Delhi, where the Metro, Delhi Transport Corporation, urban rail and the cluster bus collectives are in consultations on how to offer a seamless travel experience. The proposal for a common mobility card, now several years in the making, is in the works.

In the South, Bengaluru is set to open up its real time data on the movement of city buses to app developers in about a month. Open access to such data, pioneered by cities such as London, will enable apps to be created to help commuters know the location and arrival time of the next bus, as Uber and Ola cabs do.

At the global summit of the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) being held here, it was also announced on Tuesday that Uttar Pradesh is taking a step ahead to tap global best practice, and has entered into a formal agreement with the Association.

Redesign of networks

Providing smooth travel in Indian cities through redesign of existing networks and services will, however, depend on the creation of rules by which operators can use the technology. They must enable sharing of fares, and connect buses, trains and feeder transport networks in one integrated model, M. Ramsekhar, CEO of the Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System Ltd (DIMTS), told

The Hindu on the sidelines of the UITP Global Summit here on Tuesday.

“A regulatory mechanism at the back end is needed. It is taking time. Someone has to create the rules,” Mr. Ramsekhar said.

India’s adoption of cashless payments through the National Payments Corporation was extraordinary as an example of technological innovation, and an open loop model (working like a debit card) could aid seamless travel, he said. Operators could be paid their share of revenues based on passenger trips made but commuters would have a single ticket. Yet, the framework would have to be created for all the participants in the transport system to play together, he said.

Bengaluru is to provide an application programming interface for creation of third party apps for real time bus information in a month, said a spokesman for the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) attending the UITP event.