Building the capacity of bus operators across India
Part 1 of the Communicating Public Transport Series
Public transport plays a crucial role in reducing traffic congestion, cutting emissions, and enhancing the overall quality of urban life. Achieving a significant shift towards increased bus usage, however, is no easy feat. It requires a thoughtful combination of infrastructure development, better operations, and, most importantly, effective communications and targeted marketing strategies. As the first step towards improving public transport communications, ITDP India joined hands with the Association of State Road Transport Undertakings (ASRTU) to build the capacity of bus operators across the country on effective communications to improve passenger experience.
Factors impacting passenger experience: Marketing and communications are an integral part of ensuring the services reach the passengers
Bridging the Gap between Passengers and Public Transport Services: The Role of Communication
Reliability, frequency, and connectivity are key aspects that influence passenger decisions when choosing public transport. Ensuring buses are convenient and run on time builds confidence and trust among passengers. Yet, even with efficient operations planning and management, effective communication between the bus operator and passengers is a vital link in the chain to ensure these services reach the people they serve. Marketing, communications, and passenger information play an indispensable role in bridging this gap.
There are two broad groups that bus operators should reach—existing passengers who travel by public transport and potential passengers who can shift from private modes if they can be convinced.
Car manufacturers know this. They know making a good car is only the start. They invest in selling, and in selling them well. 4600 crore INR (560 million USD) is what car manufacturers spent on marketing, just in one year. That’s what buses and public transport are up against. And hence, they need to invest in marketing and communications, in addition to improving their services.
Public transport service providers should ensure that existing passengers have updated and easy-to-understand information that can empower them to continue to commute comfortably. Additionally, through targeted marketing campaigns, they can also attract new passengers and expand the number of bus users.
Building the capacity of State Transport Undertakings
As a first step towards making public transport service providers in India understand the importance of of communications, ITDP India collaborated with the Association of State Road Transport Undertakings (ASRTU) to conduct a series of capacity building workshops for depot managers from public bus operators across the country. Held at the Central Institute for Road Transport (CIRT), Pune, these sessions aim to train over 150 depot managers in two specific areas—effective communications to improve passenger experience and planning & operating electric buses.
Improving Passenger Experience: Leveraging Communications for Improvement
In this section, participants learnt how three pillars of communications—Promote, Inform, and Engage— can help bus operators improve the experience of passengers.
Promote would include building a vision-driven brand, and ensuring that passengers are aware of existing services, schemes, and offers. Inform would include providing passengers with accurate and up-to-date information—on stops, services, and routes, including any changes. Engage would include listening to their passengers— getting their input and feedback to address any concerns and improve the services provided.
Empathy in Action: Stepping into Passengers’ Shoes
Through an interactive game, depot managers experienced the challenges faced by passengers and brainstormed solutions to overcome them. This immersive activity aimed to nurture empathy and deepen their understanding of passenger needs.
By understanding passengers, their needs, challenges, and preferences, bus operators could provide better services that cater to their needs and successfully retain them.
Empowering Brand Ambassadors: Drivers and Conductors
Perception plays a vital role in public transport usage. Passenger-facing staff—the drivers and conductors—play a key role in shaping this perception. This part of the training stressed the importance of investing in drivers and conductors as brand ambassadors for the bus service.
Drawing inspiration from international success stories, this session emphasised how enabling these staff to engage empathetically with passengers can help improve passenger experience.
Ensuring depot managers are trained in effective communication will not only ensure that they can improve our public transport systems today but also create life-long champions who will go on to accelerate this transformation across the country. We look forward to continuing to support ASRTU in working towards a sustainable and inclusive public transport future for the country.
Written by Varsha Jeyapandi
Edited by Aishwarya Soni, Keshav Suryanarayanan
