Reports & Papers
August 13, 2026
As Indian cities face growing infrastructure and climate-financing needs, municipal green bonds offer a potential pathway to mobilise long-term capital for sustainable and climate-resilient urban development. For Kochi, a low-lying coastal city increasingly exposed to flooding, heat stress and climate […]
July 17, 2026
Travel across Indian cities today, and a stark contrast is impossible to miss. Booking a cab takes seconds, mobile data is among the cheapest in the world, and banking is a screen-tap away. But step onto a city bus, and […]
July 14, 2026
Kerala’s bus network is in structural decline. The availability of bus services in the state fell from one bus for every 910 people in 2000 to one for every 2,807 people in 2023 (CPPR, 2026). Over the same period, private […]
July 8, 2026
ആലുവയിലെ തുരുത്ത് ഇന്ന് ഒറ്റപ്പെട്ട ഒരു ദ്വീപല്ല. അഞ്ച് പാലങ്ങളാണ് തുരുത്തിനെ പുറംലോകവുമായി ബന്ധിപ്പിക്കുന്നത്. അതിൽ മൂന്നെണ്ണം വാഹനഗതാഗതത്തിന് അനുയോജ്യവുമാണ്. റോഡുകളുണ്ട്, വാഹനങ്ങളുണ്ട്, ആലുവ പട്ടണം ഏതാനും കിലോമീറ്റർ മാത്രം അകലെയുമാണ്. എന്നിട്ടും കുറഞ്ഞ ചെലവിൽ യാത്ര ചെയ്യുക എന്നത് പലർക്കും ഒരു വെല്ലുവിളിയാണ്. കേരളത്തിലെ ഗ്രാമീണ ഗതാഗതത്തിന്റെ യാഥാർഥ്യം ഈ വിരോധാഭാസത്തിലാണ് ഒളിഞ്ഞിരിക്കുന്നത്. […]
May 26, 2026
Thuruth village in Aluva, is no longer an island. Five bridges now connect the village to the mainland, three of them motorable. Roads exist, vehicles move, and Aluva lies barely a few kilometres away. Yet for most residents, public transport […]
May 22, 2026
The phrase “public interest” is one of the most frequently invoked justifications in transport policy and perhaps one of the least clearly defined. Under Section 99 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 (and the earlier Section 68C of the Motor […]
May 12, 2026
The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation’s announcement of “Business Class” Volvo services on the Kochi–Thiruvananthapuram corridor is, in one sense, a candid admission. The state has conceded what commuters have known for years: public transit in Kerala is failing travellers. […]
February 24, 2026
കെഎസ്ആർടിസിക്ക് ഗണ്യമായ സാമ്പത്തിക സഹായം നൽകിക്കൊണ്ട് പൊതുഗതാഗത സംവിധാനം നിലനിർത്താനുള്ള സംസ്ഥാനത്തിന്റെ പ്രതിജ്ഞാബദ്ധത കേരള ബജറ്റ് 2026 – 27 വീണ്ടും ഉയർത്തിക്കാട്ടി. ബജറ്റ് പ്രസംഗം അനുസരിച്ച്, ഈ ഗവൺമെന്റിന്റെ ഭരണകാലത്ത് ₹8,525.43 കോടി രൂപ കെഎസ്ആർടിസിക്ക് നൽകിയിട്ടുണ്ട് (ദിനംപ്രതി ശരാശരി ₹5 കോടി രൂപ). കെ.എസ്.ആർ.ടി.സിയിൽ ഇത്രയധികം നിക്ഷേപം നടത്തുമ്പോഴും, സർവീസുകളിൽ ഇന്നും വലിയൊരു […]
February 11, 2026
Rural India is home to nearly two-thirds of the country’s population, yet access to affordable and reliable public transport remains severely constrained. Over the past decade, large-scale investments under schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana have significantly […]
February 9, 2026
India built rural roads, but affordable transport services remain missing—deepening the rural mobility gap. Photo Credit: Hindustan Times This article examines the growing gap between rural road infrastructure and actual mobility in India. Despite massive investments in rural roads, the […]
February 6, 2026
The Union Budget 2026–27 marks a shift in urban policy, positioning cities as economic engines while reducing central support. With greater reliance on markets and local bodies, urban growth now enters a more uncertain phase. The Union Budget 2026–27 signals […]
February 6, 2026
Shared Intermediate Public Transport (Shared IPT) systems such as share autos, e-rickshaws, and small motor cabs have emerged across India as a market-driven response to gaps in formal public transport, particularly in peri-urban and low-density areas. Despite performing stage-like functions, […]
January 3, 2026
Kerala’s bus-based public transport system, which has long been regarded as the backbone of the state’s everyday mobility, has witnessed a steady decline in the past two decades—from 35,000 in the early 2000s to 12,500 in 2023. This decline, driven […]
June 3, 2025
Historical Overview of Bicycle Commuting Trends in India Bicycle commuting in India has seen a significant socio-economic transformation. It has evolved from a source of pleasure during the colonial era to a symbol of lower-class conveyance by the mid-1990s, and […]
September 24, 2024
The non-motorised transport (NMT) corridors in Kochi fail to meet actual transportation needs, with obstacles making navigation challenging. Key Takeaways For whom are we building non-motorised transport (NMT) corridors? Observing the recently constructed NMT corridors in Kochi, one might conclude […]