EVEN as work on the ambitious Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) goes underway in Ahmedabad in full swing, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) is yet to finalise on the operational structure of the transport system.
In this, AMC is being guided by several top institutions in the country, including Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A).
An internal report prepared by IIM-A and presented to experts working on the BRTS, including CEPT University and AMC, seeks to involve more private players in the operation of the BRTS and decrease government role in the upkeep of the new transport system that will be soon operational on city road.
According to AMC, several options on the operational model of BRTS are being discussed at the level of the Central Government and will be implemented together in different BRTS systems in the country without duplication.
IIT-Delhi is another top institute involved in the project at national level.
“We hope to finalise on a singular operational model, to be followed in all BRTS across the country, by June this year,’’ said I P Gautam, Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner.
One of the two models that IIM-A has suggested to the AMC is based on the model followed in the city of Bogotá (South America).
“We have argued for a bigger involvement of private players both for infrastructure creation and maintenance. In one model, private party should be asked to generate revenue themselves with some additional support from the Government,’’ said G Raghuram, faculty with the Public Systems Group of IIM-A, who has prepared the report.
The report also suggests creation of a separate BRTS Oversight Unit with an expertise in transportation planning, management, maintenance, marketing and operation of the system.
It seeks multiple private players to operate on the route so they could compete for better operation of the system. Each operator, it seeks, should have a minimum fleet size for easy operation.
The second model suggested by the IIM-A is quite popular and being followed in a number of countries, including Bogotá.
In this model, government takes care of the infrastructures while operation is handled by private players through bidding.
“We have also suggested a model in which old buses, plying on the regular road, might mingle at some points with the special BRTS corridor for a certain length,’’ Raghuram added.
Courtesy : Expressindia.com
In this, AMC is being guided by several top institutions in the country, including Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A).
An internal report prepared by IIM-A and presented to experts working on the BRTS, including CEPT University and AMC, seeks to involve more private players in the operation of the BRTS and decrease government role in the upkeep of the new transport system that will be soon operational on city road.
According to AMC, several options on the operational model of BRTS are being discussed at the level of the Central Government and will be implemented together in different BRTS systems in the country without duplication.
IIT-Delhi is another top institute involved in the project at national level.
“We hope to finalise on a singular operational model, to be followed in all BRTS across the country, by June this year,’’ said I P Gautam, Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner.
One of the two models that IIM-A has suggested to the AMC is based on the model followed in the city of Bogotá (South America).
“We have argued for a bigger involvement of private players both for infrastructure creation and maintenance. In one model, private party should be asked to generate revenue themselves with some additional support from the Government,’’ said G Raghuram, faculty with the Public Systems Group of IIM-A, who has prepared the report.
The report also suggests creation of a separate BRTS Oversight Unit with an expertise in transportation planning, management, maintenance, marketing and operation of the system.
It seeks multiple private players to operate on the route so they could compete for better operation of the system. Each operator, it seeks, should have a minimum fleet size for easy operation.
The second model suggested by the IIM-A is quite popular and being followed in a number of countries, including Bogotá.
In this model, government takes care of the infrastructures while operation is handled by private players through bidding.
“We have also suggested a model in which old buses, plying on the regular road, might mingle at some points with the special BRTS corridor for a certain length,’’ Raghuram added.
Courtesy : Expressindia.com