HYDERABAD: Is the Elevated Bus Rapid Transit System (EBRTS) too late a project for the West Zone? The process of preparing a Detailed Project Report (DPR) initiated by the Hyderabad Airport Metro Limited (HMAL) has received a half-hearted nod from experts in the city.
Most are sceptical on whether elevating a separate corridor for buses is needed, and on how it would be received by the general public as the pricing and the convenience will play a major role in its success. “There are several flyovers, so one lane on those can be dedicated to buses,” noted SR Chaitanya, researcher on public transport.
He explained that since the project is to pass through four flyovers, it will just burden the road infrastructure without any surety that people will use it. “A Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) which dedicates one lane for buses on the ground is great as it is easy to implement, allows public transport to move faster and lets one enjoy the flexibility of using buses, as the buses can move in and out of these lanes. However, when they elevate the BRT, there may be very little scope for the bus to get down mid-way or move onto the elevated structure, making it less flexible,” added Chaitanya.
Reiterating the thought, another public transport expert noted that EBRT maybe combining the negatives of metro rail and bus transport. “It is expensive like the metro as you have to build road infra in this area. Moreover, it is a bus, which may not offer the speed and comfort of a metro.” He further noted that BRT could be lighter on the government’s kitty and will have assured success as it is on grade-level and can be used by buses going on different routes.
Meanwhile, residents in West Zone are sceptical and note that it will be a project that will inconvenience them further. “There are several simultaneous projects in West Zone like that in Kothaguda and the metro works in Mindspace. This leaves no alternate routes anywhere for KPHB residents to reach Hitec city as going via Miyapur will land us on Kothaguda flyover work. If this commences, then the time taken on the road will be increased dramatically,” noted a resident of Kukatpally.