DNA: A plan to sync our public transport: March 04, 2008

Finally, a plan to sync our public transport

If the state government has its way, we will soon have a unified transport authority to coordinate the functioning of the various forms of public transport. Shweta Karnik finds out what the proposed system means for the people of Mumbai and its satellites…..Shweta Karnik

Faced with the problem of growing traffic and its impact on the economy of Mumbai as well as the life of its citizens, administrators are now contemplating holistic solutions.
One of the first steps in this regard could be the proposed removal of boundary restrictions currently imposed on public transport. The move would enable free movement of taxis, autorickshaws, and even buses across the entire Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).
“By removing all boundary barriers, people would be able to travel across the region without having to change transport at different toll nakas,” says transport commissioner Shyamsunder Shinde. “A person travelling from Navi Mumbai to Sion, for instance, will not have to change autorickshaws at the Vashi toll naka, as is currently the case.”
Obviously, autorickshaw unions from beyond the city limits are welcoming the move. “Boundary barriers were imposed only for the
benefit of taxi and rickshaw operators within the city,” claims Sunil Borde of the 350-member Rickshaw Chalak Malak Ekta Union, which operates in Navi Mumbai. “If meter and other regulations can be imposed in Mumbai, they can surely be replicated in other parts of the MMR as well.”
But public transport operators in Mumbai, such as the Mumbai Taximen’s Union led by AL Quadros, are worried that the influx of additional autorickshaws could eat into their business.
“We operate from Colaba to
Mira-Bhayander and up to Panvel,” says Quadros. “But since autorickshaws outnumber taxis, we face a major constraint. If this decision further affects our business, we will oppose it.”
His feelings are echoed by Sharad Rao of the Municipal Mazdoor Union, who also heads the Mumbai Autorickshaw Union. “The move will only pave the way for illegal operators to come to the city and fleece passengers,” he says.
But advocates of the move say this is part of a bigger plan. “The move to lift geographical restrictions on the movement of public transport is a step towards introducing the Unified Transport Regulatory Authority (Utra),” says Shinde.
Utra is expected to be the nodal agency for all transport-related activity in the MMR. The proposed authority is expected to coordinate the functioning of all public transport, including buses, taxis, autorickshaws and even waterways.
But the proposal is going to be a difficult one to sell, for even the municipal corporations within the MMR, which operate their own bus services, are opposed to the liberalisation of jurisdiction. “The government seems adamant on implementing the system,” says Uttam Khobragade, general manager, Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST). “But we have decided to impose a condition of making us the parent stakeholder as our capacity is much higher that that of the others,” he says.
Khobragade claims that it is binding on all the transport agencies of the MMR to accept the proposal.
“But being the largest undertaking, with a current fleet of over 3,400 buses, we will ask for 90 per cent stake in the authority with directors and the chairman being from among the elected members of BEST,” he says.
Khobragade, however, points out the difficulty in amalgamating the agencies since the BEST also provides electricity to the city.
For once, there’s a resonance from outside the city limits. “There are geographical limitations, apart from a variance in financial and budgetary standings of the various transport authorities. It is not feasible to club them together,” says Vishwanath Patil, chairman of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport.
But the common Mumbaikar is not concerned what the taxi, autorickshaw, or even bus operator feels about the proposal. “We want better and hassle-free services,” says Sunil Choubal, a middle-aged marketing executive, who commutes from Kalyan to Mulund every day. “Even if the decision hurts operators, the government must go ahead if the citizens stand to gain.”
Choubal’s views are representative of the sentiments of a large section of the city. The Unified Transport Regulatory Authority, it is hoped, will address the concerns of lakhs of Mumbai’s harried commuters.