Waiting for the Bus

India's bus sector is certainly underperforming. The country does not have enough buses to run on their routes and cater to their citizens, leaving them at the mercy of private vehicles

For 100,000 people, just 11.8 buses in India

Data Source:
☛  Review of the Performance of State Road Transport Undertakings (SRTUs) for 2015-2016
☛   World road statistics 2016, International Road Federation
☛   Union road transport and highways ministry 2015-16 report

Number of buses in India plummeting faster than what you had thought

Even as governments push for improving public transport ridership, the country’s transport infrastructure sees a continuous decline. Bus fleets are declining year after year. In just one year, the number of buses per one million people have reduced from 131 to 118.

Data Source:
☛ Review of the Performance of State Road Transport Undertakings (SRTUs) for 2015-2016
☛ Waiting for the bus, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE)

Did you know? States such as Bihar (2 per 1 million), Odisha (11 per 1 million), West Bengal (24 per 1 million) and Uttar Pradesh (48 per 1 million) have a dismal record.

☛ Maps show the Number of buses per million people from 2010-11 to 2015-16
☛ Instruction: Select desire year and move mouse over the states to know more

Data Source:
☛ Review of the Performance of State Road Transport Undertakings (SRTUs) for 2015-2016 | 2014-15 | 2013-14 | 2010-11

Developing an efficient bus system, which reduces congestion and curbs pollution levels, does not seem to figure in the priority list of the governments.

Did you know? In Indian cities, buses are made to pay more taxes than cars. The World Bank study of 2002 confirms that the total tax burden per vehicle km is 2.6 times higher for public transport buses than cars in India

☛ Maps show where the bus fleets are declining year after year

Data Source:
☛ Review of the Performance of State Road Transport Undertakings (SRTUs) for 2015-2016 | 2014-15 | 2013-14

Delhi has just 0.27 buses for 1,000 people

If you are wondering why has there been a steady decline in bus transport ridership in Delhi, here is the reason: it provides only 272 buses for every one million people—much below the global standard of 600 buses.

Did you know? Road ministry data suggests that a car consumes nearly 1.6 times more energy on an average than a bus. The figures are worse for two-wheelers, which require about 2.5 times the same amount of energy, and three-wheelers, which consume
4.7 times more

With decreasing number of buses (from 344 in 2010-11 to 272 in 2015-16) in the national capital region, the Delhi Metro was expected to fill in the gaps. However, a substantial hike in Metro fare is leaving people with no other option but to switch to private vehicles, especially two-wheelers. For a city that has seen an alarming rise in air pollution, its weak public transport agenda is not desirable. Unreliable and unaffordable public transport services explain the rapid rise of private cars and worsening air pollution in Delhi-NCR.

Data Source:

✽   Review of the Performance of State Road Transport Undertakings (SRTUs) for 2015-2016, Govt of India
✽   Waiting for the Bus, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), December 2012
✽  Review of the Performance of State Road Transport Undertakings (SRTUs)
for 2014-2015, Govt of India
✽   Urbanisation and Urban Transport in India: The Sketch for a Policy
✽  Review of the Performance of State Road Transport Undertakings (SRTUs)
for 2013-2014, Govt of India
✽   Registered motor vehicles in India 1951-2013, Govt of India
✽   Review of the Performance of SRTUs for 2012-2013, Govt of India
✽   Urban Transport in India: Challenges and Recommendations,
Indian Institute for Human Settlements
✽  Review of the Performance of SRTUs for 2010-2011