Field visits are fun, especially when you try to study the very core of mobility, which is public transport systems. The structure of a city, housing patterns, real estate values, commercial spaces, etc. are all influenced by the available transport networks. When I started out my journey to study the transport ecosystem of various cities, what I understood was how to have a multi-disciplinary approach and an eye that captures everything, starting from the history of the city to the way people perceive comfort and convenience. Having visited over 10 cities, here are a few of my observations on how one needs to approach studying the bus transport systems in India:

1. History of the City 

Know the history of the transport system in a city. Indian cities are quite unique in their characteristics and topography, which is why there is never a one size fits all approach to the Indian bus transport system. Urbanisation and the resulting urban sprawl are unplanned, which leads to a situation where transport infrastructure needs to function in a dynamic way to cater to the growing demand. The history of a city and its modes of transport from the pre-independent era is a major learning experience, as it shows the inclination of the public towards a certain mode of transport. It also helps understand why people prefer private buses over public ones and vice versa in a few cities.

2. Culture of the City and Residents

It is important to study the culture of the inhabitants so that we understand their spending habits and their socio-economic nature. This gives a picture of how they view transportation services. In some Indian cities, like Jaipur, vehicle ownership is high and people, especially those belonging to middle and high income groups, often opt out of public transport due to its poor quality. Public buses are viewed as a service provided to those who cannot afford personal vehicles. This can change if a positive culture of service quality is promoted among commuters.

3. Integration of Modes of Transportation

Different cities have different modes of dominant public transport, which can be buses, metros, autos, shared autos, tempos, etc. These services could be formal or informal. It is ideal that one look into how different services are integrated. Do the bus stands and shared autos connect to metro stations? What are the ways in which this transition from one mode to another is made easier? This could be for example, in the form of fare integration or technology integration. Also, it is important to see how these services connect to shopping malls and commercial areas,  thereby increasing real estate values in some areas.

4. Regulations and Policies

Have a basic understanding of the transport regulations and policies governing the city and state so that you get a holistic view of operations and the answers to every ‘why’ question you have. Often, you might notice the dominance of shared autos plying informally without permits in a few cities. These occur due to the way such services are defined in some policies and Acts. The dominance of these services could also be attributed to the lack of availability of other modes, such as buses or lack of first and last mile connectivity. A deeper insight can be drawn when talking to policy makers, which include government officials and other stakeholders in the city.

5. Interactions with Stakeholders

Bus transport sector involved a lot of stakeholders: bus commuters, bus drivers and conductors, bus companies, Regional Transport Officers, government officials, state transport departments, urban local bodies, bus depot managers, development authorities, etc. It is important to interact with all of them to understand the perspective of a state and the private players towards public transport, as ultimately they influence any transport related policies and decisions. Diverse perspectives and the political scenario of a state would determine the approach towards the transport sector.

6. Field Observations 

No visit is optimal without cross checking and cross verifying your readings and learning more about the current scenarios. One needs to observe traffic patterns, age groups of commuters, justification of location of bus depots and bus stops (especially for e-bus depot), comfort, information at bus stops, commuter choices of first and last mile connectivity from bus stops, safety, etc. One of my observations helped me realise how the automatic doors of BRT buses in a few cities do not function well, making it an inconvenient experience for commuters. And in cities like Hubli and Jaipur, it is seen that people opt for private buses as these stop as per the convenience of the commuters.

7. Stand in the Commuter’s Shoes

There is no learning unless we step into the public transport commuter’s shoes to understand the hassle or comfort of making these choices. Take a bus ride, both during peak and off peak hours and get off at random stops to understand the connectivity. This would help in experiential learning to understand the hassles faced by commuters, if any, and help arrive at recommendations on how to make the system better.

8. Accessibility, Affordability and Availability 

You cannot forget the 3 A’s of public transport in every minute observation you make. The very basic expectation from public transport is that it should be available to all. This would mean all sections of society, all age groups, genders and the differently abled. One needs to observe the height of footboards, as senior citizens and differently abled people find it difficult to access the buses. The availability of the buses also need to be looked at by observing waiting time of commuters. Talking to commuters by the bus stops about various travel schemes by the government, their journey patterns, purpose of travel, spending, etc. will give an overview. 

These are just 8 ways you can look at a transport field study! However, there are definitely more aspects to it, which will be discussed in the blogs to follow. 

Blog written by Lizbeth Godwin, Research Associate at Centre for Public Policy Research.

Views expressed by the author are personal and need not reflect or represent the views of the Centre for Public Policy Research.