Date:27/08/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/08/27/stories/2006082717620300.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Sustainable information key to success of public transport

Special Correspondent

"Private sector can be co-opted for information dissemination through the Net"

LEFT IN THE LURCH: With little information on bus timings available at Tiruvanmiyur terminus, passengers are clueless as to which bus will leave first. — PHOTO: N. SRIDHARAN

CHENNAI: Sometime back, the `Q and A' forum in the Metropolitan Transport Corporation's (MTC) website (www.mtcbus.org) had a commuter asking for a detailed booklet on routes and schedules.

The answer from the online moderator ran thus: "We are not printing bus guides now. However, in all termini, the departure timings of the services are written. Further, they are being announced through public address system. It is not feasible to provide the bus timings for all 2,554 scheduled services."

The commuter's issue and the reply give rise to a debate on whether the MTC is seriously interested in attracting more commuters to the public transport system in a metropolis which is seeing dramatic increase in vehicle population every year — more than 10 per cent.

Votaries of sustainable public transport say more than the MTC, the State's Information Technology department should address the issue.

M.G. Devasahayam, managing trustee of SUSTAIN, an NGO working for urban issues, says a State which makes many claims about IT development should start a programme for providing sustainable information on public transport to users statewide. This is a crucial area of e-governance that meets the people's everyday needs.

Mr. Devasahayam says the private sector can be co-opted for information dissemination through the Internet. "Even at bus terminals, inexpensive technology can provide accurate, updated information to commuters," he adds.

Civic activists say that the draft National Transport Policy of the Union Surface Transport Ministry talks about the "association of private sector in development of road infrastructure and in provision of public transport services."

A study by the UITP (International Union of Public Transport) in 100 cities worldwide had asserted that commuting in cities with a well-developed public transport modes could be faster than by automobiles. However, it said "a lot of improvements could be made" because the time spent on public transport is still perceived by passengers as lost, particularly while waiting for buses and at interchanges.

In short, a sure method to make automobile owners switch to public transport will be to provide them accurate information on bus timings and movement.

An LED display at bus terminals that gives schedules and routes will help the commuters and even enable the transport administration to maintain schedules.

Electronics systems can enable them to know whether a service is on schedule or straying from scheduled routes.

According to the website, the Corporation proposes to provide GPS-enabled services in buses.