Integration of Public Transportation Systems

Abstract

The recent scenario of public transportation in most of the Indian cities shows only 20% to 30% of the total passengers utilizing any public transit as their model of travel. With the ever increasing population and gradual increase in per capita income, dependence on private modes is increasing and same trend is expected to be continued in the coming years. With more private vehicles on road, pollution as well as congestion levels in the cities are also expected to increase. Hence, there is a need to make the public transit a favorable mode of transport for the passengers. Th objective of the study is to highlight the deficiencies of current transportation system in various metropolitan cities in India and suggest the best integration practice for each selected city. The paper deals with the current scenario of public transportation in major metropolitan cities of India viz. Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata and analyzing it with the norms provided by the MOUD, GOI to find out the deficiencies in the transit systems of the selected cities, after which the recommendations regarding public transport integration given by authors, authorities and organizations are provided. The paper then provides the case studies of various public transit integration measures practiced overseas and relating them to the situation of the selected Indian cities, in order to suggest the best integration strategies.