CHENNAI: Ambitious initiatives like the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) and bus priority lanes (BPL), which were aimed at boosting public transport patronage in Chennai and in turn reducing traffic congestion, have failed to take off. This is despite the acute need to increase the ridership in MTC buses, which has dipped compared to what it was 15 years ago since the increasing population primarily opted for private vehicles for commuting.
MTC bus ridership declined from a maximum of 53 lakh per day in 2010 to around 31 lakh per day in 2023-2024. While the ridership has shown signs of increase in the last two years from around 27.4 lakh per day in 2022-2023 to over 31 lakh now, it is yet to recover fully to pre-pandemic figures (around 41 lakh in 2018).
While the daily ridership in metro trains has increased to around 2.8 lakh passengers as of May, it is still only around 9% of the MTC’s ridership, indicating the MTC’s continuing importance as the key mode of public transport and the need to improve it.
Importantly, in the meantime, the number of two-wheelers populating the roads in Chennai has jumped from 43.1 lakh in 2019, ahead of the pandemic, to 73.7 lakh as of 2023, marking a 71% increase, according to data from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. The number of cars has gone up from 10.4 lakh to 16.2 lakh during the same period, a 55% increase.
The BPL, mooted last year on a pilot basis between Chennai Central-Tambaram via Guindy and CMBT-Guindy, is on the back burner. For BRTS, official sources said that seven corridors were initially proposed. However, since the work on the second phase of Chennai metro rail is underway in five of the earmarked corridors, the implementation was ruled out.
The officials initially planned to bring about BRTS on the 10-km route between Pallavaram and Thoraipakkam on a trial basis. However, devoting an entire lane for buses with a rise in the number of two-wheelers, which accounts for around 40% of the total modal share, was a daunting challenge. In addition, the establishment cost per km of BRTS is `40 crore to `50 crore. The other issue is the lack of buses. Official sources said BRTS is feasible only when a minimum of two buses are run every one to two minutes.
However, the number of buses in Chennai has been stagnant for over a decade despite a large increase in population, says Shreya Gadepalli, founder and managing trustee of Urban Works. “When a bus user shifts to a two-wheeler due to lack of services or poor quality, he occupies three to four times more road space. A car passenger occupies 10 times more space,” she says.
To beat congestion, a bus service should come with the “Triple-5” promise: buses are available within a 5-minute walk from anywhere; the bus you want arrives within a 5-minute wait; and the bus reaches your destination without a delay of over 5 minutes, say experts.
“To achieve this, the state must immediately double Chennai’s bus fleet. What’s needed are low-floor, electric, and air-conditioned buses to beat Chennai’s heat. They must be available at an affordable fare. Contrary to popular belief, air conditioning only adds 15% to the operating cost,” said Gadepalli, who was earlier working with the state government to popularise bus services.
Transport planners have suggested putting a cap on the purchase of private vehicles as has been the case in Singapore. Sivasubramaniam Jayaraman, National Lead, Transport system, ITDP India said, “The culture of buses being stuck in traffic behind single-occupancy cars needs to change if we want to retain existing bus users and encourage new ones.” Prioritised lanes, parking fees for private vehicles can help and will complement metro and suburban services, he added.
Transport secretary K Phanindra Reddy told TNIE that the state government is planning to enhance premium services and first and last-mile connectivity, apart from increasing the fleet size.
53L passengers took MTC buses daily in 2010, a maximum that is yet to be passed
31L is the current number in 2023-2024, marking a significant drop in MTC ridership