BENGALURU: Last year, Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari had batted for the London transport model, calling it “successful with intelligent transport system”. Recently, Karnataka and other states are planning to adopt the model, and have sought World Bank’s help to fund the projects.
Discussions on implementing the London-model transport system begun within the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC). Last week, KSRTC managing director Shivayogi Kalasad visited London to study the urban transport system there as part of a four-day tour.
Kalasad represented the state with other stakeholders from India, such as Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), Central Institute of Road Transport (CIRT), Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC), Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation (RSRTC) and others.
“We were exposed to various transport modes used including road, metro and railway, their logistics and inventory. Their way of managing customer responses, traffic management, HR issues and finance management is very organised. The integration of all three modes of transport while taking care of customer satisfaction was also discussed there,” Kalasad told The New Indian Express.
As of now, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh are planning to bring in pilot projects of the London-model system. If proven successful, Karnataka will follow the suit. “We are in the preliminary discussion stage and upcoming projects are yet to be decided,” Kalasad said, adding that London took 35 years to reach its current stage of technical efficiency of transport services.
Since the Union government is seeking help from World Bank, Kalasad said the state is planning to seek the international institution’s help to fund the state transport projects. “We are more focused on public road transportation and shifting people from private to public,” he added.
When asked about a bus-priority lane (BPL), Kalasad said while BPL is currently being implemented in Bengaluru, Mysuru will follow the same method soon.
The Indian team of 15 officials, who were part of the London tour, will send a report to MoRTH on improving transport systems in their respective states.