BRTS case studies in IndiaThe studies looking into the technology and operation of the BRTS have also discussed the designing of the system. This report attempts to fill this gap by holistically assessing the BRTS in the Indian context and then taking up an in-depth research of the BRTS in Ahmedabad, which is currently the largest network among the BRTSs in India.
The research focuses on Ahmedabad BRTS’s accessibility for the urban poor on one hand, the modal shift from Personal Motorised Transport (PMT) to the BRTS, (an agenda of great significance for reducing carbon footprint in cities), on theother.
The study also analyses the urban poor’s travel pattern in the city and assesses whether the BRTSaddresses their accessibility needs. Before these objectives are embarked upon, the study also contextualises Ahmedabad BRTS within the overall public transport paradigm in urban India. Hence, this report addresses the assessment of the BRTS in India at two levels: at the macro level in terms of assessing the sincerity of different cities and their respective state governments in implementing planned BRTS projects, and at the micro level in terms of the urban poor’s accessibility (and that of women amongst them) to the largest BRTS network in India, that is in Ahmedabad. Before that, in this chapter we discuss some of the key concepts on sustainability, accessibility, and travel behaviour of the urban poor and their transport expenditures in Indian cities, and we also discuss the methodological framework adopted.