Delhi’s blueline buses have killed 113 people in the last 12 months, prompting citizens to blame drivers, police, politicians and transport officials. Some even blame privatisation. Across the country, it is the same story with public transport as pilferage, corruption, impunctuality, etc, become the norm.
Former P&G head Gurcharan Das points at Indore where, in 2005, a 34-year-old IAS officer, Vivek Aggarwal, launched a public-private bus partnership based on best practices in the world with a tiny capital of Rs 25 lakh.
“Two years later, Indore has a fleet of 98 modern, low-floor buses with computerised ticket-vending. Electronic signboards at bus stops announce when the next bus is due based on satellite data. Investment in the system has risen to Rs 40 crore, all done privately. The city has made a profit since inception; so have its six private partners who run the buses. Soon, it will have 500 buses. Indore is now quoted (with Bogota) as having the best bus service in the world.”
Read the full article: Blueline solution in Indore
Tags: Buses, Public Transport, Vivek Aggarwal
19 December 2007 at 3:05 pm
Excellent initiative..may be i could take copies of this article and give it all in the Hasiru Usiru Conf tomorrow…Something like this will make lot of people shun their vehicles and board the bus
19 December 2007 at 3:38 pm
In one word – Wow!!
12 June 2008 at 3:38 pm
Well, well that’s a nice initiative & I have seen that but, still a long long way to go. Indore is a small & less populous city & one cannot just stand up & compare weith the worlds best. It is ridiculous & I completely disagree.
With 97% operational efficiency the B.E.S.T. Undertaking with a fleet of 3500 plus buses having all the varieties among buses is the undoubted leader in city bus transports. Many places in the West & countries like Japan & Hong Kong do have excellentbuses; Jakarta & Bogoto doing really very good with their BRTS system but, none of them match the efficiency of B.E.S.T. which operates in a chaotic city like Mumbai.