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Indore iBus & Best Practices Topics of MOUD BRT Workshop

26th June 2014 by admin

Over the next decade, many Indian cities will see the use of personal motor vehicles double unless action is taken to improve sustainable transport options. ITDP estimates that 10,000 km of rapid transit are required in the 100 largest Indian cities to ensure that most new trips can be accommodated in public transport rather than personal motor vehicles. Recognizing the urgent need to rapidly expand mass transit, senior officials from cities across the country met recently to increase awareness about BRT and the features of high quality BRT corridors.

The workshop, organized by the Indian Ministry of Urban Development (MOUD) in partnership with the Institute of Urban Transport (IUT) and ITDP, brought together more than seventy secretaries, commissioners, chief engineers, planners, and managers from public transport agencies from cities in all stages of the BRT planning process.

During the workshop, participants visited the Indore BRT system. Known as iBus, the system incorporates many best practice features, including high quality central stations, a dedicated bus fleet, level boarding, and prepaid fare collection

Highlighting the importance of high quality design elements, event participants used ITDP’s to evaluate the Indore system, as well as scored existing or planned BRT systems in their own cities. The exercise provided a platform for cities to learn from one another, identify common pitfalls, and prioritize improvements that further enhance their systems. Key lessons learned from the exercise included the importance of getting the BRT Basics right, as well as the crucial process of integrating last mile connectivity. Complementing their BRT systems, more and more cities are showing interest in constructing better footpaths and implementing cycle sharing schemes to improve access for all users.

Even the highest scoring cities identified a host of features they could introduce to improve their system further.

“Yesterday I was running BRT in Indore,” said Sandeep Soni, Joint Collector of Indore and CEO of AICTSL, “but now I know I need to improve.”

The workshop also created an opportunity for ITDP to gather feedback about the BRT Standard, its applicability in the Indian context, and changes required to make the document a more useful tool for Indian cities as they are planning their BRT systems. Readers are encouraged to submit their comments on the BRT Standard to india@itdp.org.

ITDP’s Shreya Gadepalli introduced the BRT Standard, an evaluative tool that defines features of best practice BRT systems

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Participants used the BRT Standard to evaluate the Indore BRT system as well as existing or proposed BRT systems in their respective cities.

Filed Under: news Tagged With: BRT, Bus Rapid Transit, iBus, Indore, Public Transport

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2014 Sustainable Transport Award Finalist: Indore, India

20th December 2013 by admin

The City of Indore a major commercial hub and the largest city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Like many Indian cities, Indore is facing a growing population, increasing congestion, and environmental degradation due to ever-higher vehicle use. To address these issues, in 2013 Indore launched iBus, the second true BRT corridor in India. For its successful implementation of iBus in a challenging political environment, Indore is a finalist for the 2014 Sustainable Transport Award.

In May 2013, Indore launched iBus, the second true BRT corridor in India after Ahmedabad’s Janmarg BRT. iBus provides a safe, comfortable, and efficient transport for 30,000 passengers per day on an 11 km corridor. This is the first of three phases of a 120 km BRT network along AB Road, one of the most congested streets in Indore. A hallmark of iBus’ implementation has been public input. Through public presentations and community meetings, the citizens of Indore become strong supporters of the iBus system.


Indore has already set a new standard for public transport in India and surpassed all known benchmarks for bus-based urban public transport in the country. iBus has exceeded ridership estimates with its first phase, and is providing an average of 26 percent reduction in travel time along the corridor. As the system is expanded, the city expects to see even greater impacts. At present, 16 buses operate on the corridor, from 7:00 AM in the morning to 10:30 PM at night. As the BRTS system extends its network, it will continue to improve traffic conditions in the city and enhance the overall quality of life for the residents of Indore.

BRT has been identified as a critical component of sustainable growth in Indian cities, and the success of iBus is an exciting tipping-point project for the adoption of BRT across the country. It demonstrates that affordable, high quality public transport is possible and is a necessity for rapidly growing cities, and is proving to be a model for other municpalities looking to address transport concerns. As a result of the initial success of the Indore BRT, the city of Bhopal (the capital of Madhya Pradesh and second largest city in the state) has already fast tracked the implementation their own BRT, which will serve more than 30,000 people per day.

Despite the success of iBus, the city has been grappling with political pressure to open the designated bus-only lanes to private car traffic. The city is fighting an order of the High Court to allow cars to use the lanes. The final decision is pending, and the STA Committee supports Indore’s fight to keep the BRT moving by keeping out cars.

Since 2005, the STA has been given annually to a city that has implemented innovative and sustainable transportation projects in the past year. These strategies must improve mobility for all residents, reduce transportation greenhouse and air pollution emissions, as well as improve safety and access for cyclists and pedestrians.

The 2014 finalists will be honored at a reception at the Washington Hilton International Ballroom on January 14, 2014, during the Transport Research Board annual conference in Washington, DC.

Past winners of the Sustainable Transport Award include:  Mexico City, Mexico (2013); Medellin, Colombia and San Francisco, United States (2012); Guangzhou, China (2011); Ahmedabad, India (2010); New York City, USA (2009); London, UK (2008); Paris, France (2008); Guayaquil, Ecuador (2007); Seoul, South Korea (2006), and Bogotá, Colombia (2005).

Filed Under: news Tagged With: BRT, Indore, Public Transport

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