'BRT works when it provides efficient service'

To break the traffic gridlock and breathe easy, cities in India must make space for cleaner, efficient, low-cost public transportation.

The bus rapid transit system (BRTS), which puts buses in dedicated fast lanes and operates the service on the lines of the rail-based Metro, is popular worldwide for these benefits.

However, Indian cities are conflicted about it. The Pune BRT is only partially operational. Delhi dismantled its lone corridor in 2016. Bhopal too is all set to scrap it.

However, Ahmedabad and Surat have managed to make it work. To understand this inconsistency, Shivani Singh spoke to Shivanand Swamy, professor emeritus at the centre of excellence in urban transport at CEPT University in Ahmedabad, who supported the planning and development of the BRTS in Ahmedabad, Surat and Hubbali-Dharwad, and advised the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs (MOHUA) to formulate guidelines for BRTS and bus-based services.

Edited excerpts:

Why is there such a mixed response to BRTS in India?

The most successful BRT systems operate in Latin American cities. They already had many buses mainly private-operating and competing. They wanted to build the Metro.

Since they did not have money, they decided to make the bus look and operate like the Metro.

In India, BRT was projected as an alternative to the Metro because that's how it was in Latin American cities. But now, ven Bogota (Colombia) is getting the Metro.

(Historically) Indian cities didn't have good public transport. Wherever a reasonable supply (of buses) existed, the quality deteriorated for various reasons. They were losing ridership. We needed to bring people back on public transport. The major issue at that time and even today is that there is no space for buses on our roads.

In 2012, Ahmedabad, with a population of 5.5 million, had 23 cars per 1,000 people. Last year, with a population of 7.5 million, there were 55 cars per 1,000 people.