The Times of India had thrown open a blog to record what people wanted to say about the possibility of people dumping their cars in favor of public transport on the BRT corridor. I felt that smart people would definitely prefer the switch... Here is why :-)
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I think Delhi people are smart...
The success of Delhi Metro in converting people from car travellers to users of public transport can be replicated..If we look at reasons why people switched from private cars to public transport, we notice a few pertinent things:
1. Petrol and fuel prices are sky-rocketing... People want to cut down their cost of living in times of such inflation... They are looking for alternatives
2. Driving on Delhi roads is a night-mare... If you drive to office and take about 1 hr in one side commute (quite normal), then by the time you reach office, you are tired enough to not be able to contribute fruitfully for at least another 30-45 minutes... And if by chance you meet an accident on the way (again scratches are quite commong), forget about making good use of about 1-2 hrs...
3. Delhi Metro offered fast travel... Speed of buses in BRT will be very good (since as newspapers report, the BRT corridor is almost vacant).. This means, that commute time through buses would also reduce...
4. Delhi Metro offered predictable travel time... This was significant gain when compared to traffic-jams ridden road travel... With the advent of BRT, we do not expect to see traffic jams in that corridor... So the public travel will become more predictable than private transport... So, DTC can come up with time-tables of their buses - when a bus would reach a particular stop etc (just like done by BEST in Mumbai and public transport fleets in other countries)... Natural logic would mean, people would switch..
5. Delhi Metro - even if crowded - is comfortable because of A/C coaches... People don't mind standing in A/C coaches for fast travel... If A/C buses are introduced on the corridor, it would make the travel much more convenient... The low-floor DTC buses are also comfortable, but AC buses would increase the comfort... The travel in such buses would also be pollution free and therefore healthier...
6. Delhi Metro is preferred mode of transport because it connects the most congested parts of the city... BRT should be implemented in the congested regions of the city and its utility will become more than evident...
7. Delhi Metro has been expanded to mesh around the city... Similar exercise should be done for BRT... If public transport across the city is fast, people would not mind changing buses to reach destination because they will get end-to-end fast connectivity...
Delhi Metro is a good example to prove that people switch from private transport to public transport... I personally have very high hopes with BRT... This despite the fact that there are some teething troubles at the moment
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