BUS RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEM (BRTS) IN AHMEDABAD, INDIA

BEATRICE JENNER ANAK DAVID

FENNIMOORE AMERARA ANAK DECKLES
HEW MEI HONG
SOFIAN BIN BASRI

TRANSPORTATION ANALYSIS

DEPARTMENT OF URBAN AND REGIONAL PLANNING

FACULTY OF BUILT ENVIRONMENT
UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MALAYSIA, JOHOR BAHRU

1.0

INTRODUCTION

1.1

Introduction
Ahmedabad, India is filled with mixed land uses, high density development

and balanced street network system, thus, having compact characteristics. The
modern day traffic situation at the city is mostly dominated by two wheelers, both
motorized and non-motorized; where out of 2.2 million registered vehicles, two
wheelers are about 73%. The culture of organised public transport operations dates
back to pre-independence era. The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has
been running a well organised public transportation system known as Ahmedabad
Municipal Transport Service (AMTS). However, due to resource crunch and
operational inefficiencies of the system, the fleet size got reduced.to 450 in the year
2005. As a result, significant loss in patronage was experienced. Average daily
ridership in 2005 was 350, 000. While the share of public transport declined, the
share of Auto rickshaw increased. In the city, there were about 35, 000 auto
rickshaws operating catering to 10% of total trips. As most of these were using
adulterated fuel, air quality was affected significantly. As a result the city of
Ahmedabad figured as one of the top 3 cities in the list of 88 critically polluted cities
of India.

1.2

Ahmedabad before BRTS was implemented

Ahmedabad is a compact city characterised by mixed land uses, high
density development and balanced street network system with well-developed
5 ring and 17 radials. Total road length is about 2400 kms. There are 7

bridges to connect the eastern part of the city with west. Sixteen railover/under bridges enable crossing the railway lines at appropriate places.
Two wheelers, both motorised and bicycles dominate the traffic on the
streets of Ahmedabad. The city has 220, 000 registered vehicles of which two
wheelers are about 73%. As per the household survey (CEPT, 2006), 8 lakh
bicycles are in operation in the city accounting for 19% of the total trips. The
share of four wheelers is still low. They constitute to about 12.5% of the total
vehicles and 3% of total trips. The culture of organised public transport
operations dates back to pre-independence era.
The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has been running a
well organised public transportation system known as Ahmedabad Municipal
Transport Service (AMTS). However, due to resource crunch and operational
inefficiencies of the system, the fleet size got reduced to 450 in the year 2005.
As a result, significant loss in patronage was experienced. Average daily
ridership in 2005 was 35, 000. While the share of public transport declined,
the share of Auto rickshaw increased. In the city, there were about 35, 000
auto rickshaws operating catering to 10% of total trips. As most of these were
using adulterated fuel, air quality was affected significantly.
As a result the city of Ahmedabad figured as one of the top 3 cities in
the list of 88 critically polluted cities of India. AMTS with a fleet of about
1000 caters to about 82, 900 passengers every day. AMC undertook a
restructuring exercise during 2006 and invited private operators to operate on
gross contract basis leading to doubling of fleet size, with half owned by
AMTS and the remaining half hired on gross contract basis. Through
concerted efforts AMC undertook fuel switch operations. Today all buses and
auto rickshaws in the city are operated on CNG, contributing to significant
lowering of pollution load from transport sector.
The compactness of the city, mixed land use and balanced road
network appear to have succeeded in keeping trip length short (average trip
length in Ahmedabad is 5.5 kms). Further the balanced transport network and
predominance of two wheelers limits excessive concentration at any one part

making city relatively less congested. It is important to recognise that short

trips and less congested streets appear to make city streets safe without
compromising on mobility. Average travel times are in the range of 15-20
minutes.
The road fatalities, in the year 2009, are 202. This is comparable to
those observed in the world cities of similar size. The city has also made
significant gains in the air quality status. Being a part of 88 critically sensitive
lists of cities as identified by the Central Pollution Control Board CPCB),
topping the list in 2003, today the city has managed to reach a position where
it is reported that this year CPCB is considering taking the city out of the list.
While these initiatives have had slight dampening effect on the traffic,
the rate of motorisation being rapid (every day 430 vehicles are added to the
city vehicular register) and slow but steady increase in the share of cars will
lead the city onto a grid lock unless persistent efforts to improve public
transport, promotion of non-motorised vehicles and introduction of demand
management measures are made. These are essential for achieving the goal of
sustainable city and good quality of life.

1.3

Ahmedabad being introduced with BRTS (Bus Rapid Transit System)

The project is undertaken in 2 phases and the first stretch of the phase-1
between RTO-Pirana covering a distance of 12.5 kms which is open for
public since 14th Oct, 2009. The system length will increase to 40 kms by
December 2009 and to 84 kms by July 2010. A 3 km long elevated BRT will
become operational by the end of 2011. Components of a BRT System
Running Ways
BRTS Ahmedabad has 2 Median bus lanes of 3.65 to 3.75 m wide. Motorized
Lanes, depending on ROW, vary between 10.75m in 60m RoW, 9.25m in
40m RoW and 7m in others in ROW <30mts. NMV and Pedestrian Lane are
of 2 to 2.5 m and 2 m respectively. The Figure 1.1 shows the BRT Network
Accessibility to important origin and destinations and transit points in
Ahmedabad.

Figure 1.1

The BRT NetworkAccessibility To Important Origin And

Destinations And Transit Points In Ahmedabad.

BRT Stations:
38m long 3m wide median bus stations, closed with necessary access
controls, at level boarding-alighting, off-board ticketing system, IT enabled &
Passenger Information System, security systems & pedestrian crossings &
grade separated.

Bus Features:
Stylised buses designed for passenger comfort, wide central doors (1.2m+
1.2m- entry and exit), (900+/- 40 mm floor height), 90 personcapacity and
clean fuel Euro-III Diesel. Figure 1.2 shows the side elevation of the bus.

Figure 1.2

Side Elevation Of The Bus.

Intelligent Transportation System (ITS):

Operations Control
Automatic Vehicle tracking system
Electronic Fare Collection
Real-time Passenger Information System
Traffic Management (ATCS)

2.0

IMPORTANCE OF IMPLEMENTATION OF BRTS IN AHMEDABAD

The city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat houses a population of over 6

million people, spread over an area of 466 square kilometres. It is a teeming
centre of industrial growth and rising in-migration. It is estimated that by
2031, the city would house over 10 million people. Public transportation
system in Ahmedabad is among the most developed in India. In 2009, nearly
2 million vehicles operated on the roads of Ahmedabad, out of which 73 per
cent were two wheelers. The average trip length in Ahmedabad was about 5.5
km as compared to 11 km in Bangalore and 8 km in Hyderabad. The average
time required for travel was 20 minutes. In terms of road fatalities,
Ahmedabad recorded 244, a relatively smaller number compared to 840 in
Bangalore, 424 in Hyderabad, and over 2500 in Delhi. The Ahmedabad
Municipal Corporation (AMC) has been running a well organised public
transportation system called the Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service
(AMTS) since 1945. Using 1000 buses, majority of which are CNG
equipped, carry nearly a million passengers daily.
However, like in most cities of the world, the use of public transport
system in Ahmedabad was gradually overshadowed by use of auto-rickshaws
(numbering 60,000 in 2009) and private automobiles. Resource crunch and
operational inefficiencies also reduced the fleet size of buses under the
AMTS. In order to prevent the city from turning into a grid lock and for
achieving a sustainable quality of life, the Gujarat Infrastructure
Development Board (GIDB), AMC and Ahmedabad Urban Development
Authority (AUDA) jointly drafted a comprehensive urban mobility plan,
focusing on the implementation of a Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS).

3.0

OUTCOMES OF BRTS IN AHMEDABAD, INDIA

3.1

Result after implementation of BRTS

Janmarg, Indias first BRT system, began operations in 2009. It has significantly
improved the mobility of Ahmedabads citizens. It has gained fame as an exemplary
BRT system for developing countries, receiving national and international awards.

Secondly, daily ridership increased by a factor of 10 in two years, from 13,000 in

October 2009 to 135,000 in November 2011. Citizens appreciate the improved
citywide mobility provided by the accessible, affordable, and safe Janmarg,
consistently giving the system an 8.5 out of 10 rating in monthly user satisfaction
surveys. The system also provided opportunities to improve open space around
station areas.

Figure 3.1: Before and after Janmarg at one of station area

Source: Suzuki, Cervero and Iuchi (2013)

3.2

Positive Impacts of BRTS

The implementation of BRTS is considered as catalyst for the development along

Janmarg corridor. The built-up area of Ahmedabad is currently expanding toward the
city periphery, with more development along the roads networked citywide, which
are also used and planned for BRT corridors.

The success of transportation planning through BRTS in Ahmedabad help to manage

urban growth and promoting the development which are considered better than other
large cities in India. Besides, other opportunities to develop transit and land also
increased with the installing of Janmarg in the city. Within four months of start of
operations, positive impacts of the system have been visible.

i.

Increase in Ridership

Ridership has increased consistently through eleventh month by 305%. Average daily
passengers have increased from 17,315 (first month) to 69,759 (eleventh month).
Frequency of service is at 2.5 and 4 minutes peak during weekdays at eleventh
month, up from 5 minutes peak at first month. Ridership has gone up to 8590,000/day.

ii.

Improvement in travel speed

Peak hour speed- 24kmph as opposed to 16-18 kmph of Ahmedabad Municipal

Transport Service. Average speeds of mixed traffic same as BRTS on most stretches

iii.

Dependable Service/Reliability

Over 95% of departures are on time (+/- 90 sec time). 65% of arrivals were on time.
22% arrived before time and 13% delayed.
iv.

Increase in Revenue

As a result of increased numbers, with 23 buses operating, revenue per bus increased
from 4500 to 8700 per bus per day during the first four months. This covers the
entire sum paid to bus operator and leaves a small surplus. However, the costs
towards ticketing, administration are yet to be recovered. These are expected to be
covered through revenues from advertisements and parking facility revenue.

v.

Modal shift

Every month after the implementation of BRTS in Ahmedabad about 300 passengers
are interviewed to assess the satisfaction level. During the first month, of the total
BRTS users, 57% were AMTS bus users. Now this has come down to 40%. Major
shifts are from 3-wheelers (25%), 2 wheelers (20%) and cars (10%).

vi.

Improvement in Environmental Quality

Due to expansion of bus system, both through Ahmedabad Municipal Transport

Service and Bus Rapid Transit System and conversion of AMTS and Auto Rickshaws
to CNG, significant improvements in air quality have been observed. From a position
3rd most polluted among the 88 critically polluted cities monitored by CPCB, the
city has come down to a level of 66th rank.

vii.

Socio-Economic Impacts

Two types of social impacts are visible. The routes of BRT network went through the
areas inhabited by the poor. Improved accessibility would not only contribute to
widening of the employment market of the poor and also add to physical upgradation
of the area. There are visible signs of these impacts in certain localities. System wide

impacts, to become visible, will take some more time. Land value impacts are also
visible. Several project schemes now advertise their location in the BRTS corridor as
major marketing strategy.

viii.

User Satisfaction

Every month surveys are collected and user satisfaction rating is calculated. BRTS
got average rating of 9.0 out of 10 in the eleventh month from its users, which is in
tune with the past months of commercial operation. Survey asks for input on safety
while crossing the streets, operator driving, frequency of service, ease of fare
payment and cleanliness at stations.

ix.

Information Availability

The passenger information is also made available at the stations where the
announcements are in English and Gujarati.

x.

Other co-benefits

It has been observed that on the BRTS corridor, there has been only one fatal
accident and significant reduction in serious accidents has been observed. There have
been 6 incidents involving BRTS bus of which one was fatal.

4.0

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF BUS RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEM

(BRTS)

4.1

Advantages of BRT System

The BRT system as a new urban traffic solution has many advantages, and some
successful BRT systems can be as effective as metros. But when looking at other
conditions such as system cost, the BRT system is much better than metros. Within
four months of start of operations, positive impacts of the system have been visible.

i.

Increase in Ridership: Ridership has increased consistently through eleventh

month by 305%. Average daily passengers have increased from 17,315 (first
month) to 69,759 (eleventh month). Frequency of service is at 2.5 and 4
minutes peak during weekdays at eleventh month, up from 5 minutes peak at
first month. Ridership has gone upto85- 90,000/day.

ii.

Improvement in travel speed: Peak hour speed- 24kmph as opposed to 16-18

kmph of Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service. Average speeds of mixed
traffic same as BRTS on most stretches.

iii.

Dependable Service/Reliability: Over 95% of departures are on time (+/- 90

sec time). 65% of arrivals were on time. 22% arrived before time and 13%
delayed.

iv.

Increase in Revenues: As a result of increased numbers, with 23 buses

operating, revenue per bus increased from ` 4500 to ` 8700 per bus per day
during the first four months. This covers the entire sum paid to bus operator
and leaves a small surplus. However, the costs towards ticketing,
administration etc. are yet to be recovered. These are expected to be covered
through revenues from advertisements and parking facility revenue. Shortfall,
if any, will be met by AMC.

v.

Modal shift: Every month about 300 passengers are interviewed to assess the
satisfaction level. During the first month, of the total BRTS users, 57% were
AMTS bus users. Now this has come down to 40%. Major shifts are from 3wheelers (25%), 2wheelers (20%) and Cars (10%). Shifts from bicycles are
not significant.

vi.

Environment: Due to expansion of bus system, both through AMTS and

BRTS< and conversion of AMTS and Auto Rickshaws to CNG, significant
improvements in air quality have been observed. From a position 3rd most
polluted among the 88 critically polluted cities monitored by CPCB, the city
has come down to a level of 66th rank. The system also provided
opportunities to improve open space around station areas (figure 4.1 and
figure 4.2).

Figure 4.1: Before Janmarg at the Anjal Station area

Figure 4.2: After Janmarg at the Anjal Station area

Figure 4.3: Building Split Flyovers (Before and After at AEC)

vii.

Economic Social Impacts: Two types of social impacts are visible. The routes
of BRTS network went through the areas inhabited by the poor. Improved
accessibility would not only contribute to widening of the employment
market of the poor and also add to physical up gradation of the area. There
are visible signs of these impacts in certain localities. System wide impacts,
to become visible, will take some more time. Land value impacts are also
visible. Several project schemes now advertise their location in the BRTS
corridor as major marketing strategy.

viii.

User Satisfaction: BRTS User surveys are taken every month by distributing
surveys at the station. Every month surveys are collected and user satisfaction
rating is calculated. BRTS got average rating of 9.0 out of 10 in the eleventh
month from its users, which is in tune with the past months of commercial
operation. Survey asks for input on safety while crossing the streets, operator
driving, frequency of service, ease of fare payment and cleanliness at stations.
Fares are affordable: the distance-based fare structure ranges from Rs 2
($0.02) for a 1.5-kilometer trip to Rs 5 ($0.09) for a 5.0-kilometer trip.

ix.

Information Availability: Real Time passenger information is made available

at the stations. Announcements are in English and Gujarati.

Other co-benefits: It has been observed that on the BRTS corridor, there has been
only one fatal accident and significant reduction in serious accidents has been
observed. There have been 6 incidents involving BRTS bus of which one was fatal.
Other impacts such as supporting compact city, reduction in travel effort (trip length).

Ahmedabad BRTS was awarded the Best Sustainable Transport Award, 2010 and was
adjudged the Best Mass Rapid Transit System by the Government of India, 2009.

Table 4.1: Performance of Ahmedabad BRTS since its implementation.

4.2

Disadvantages of BRT System

BRT, in general, has more advantages than disadvantages. And each BRT system has
its own shortcomings, which is a result of different preconditions that decide how a
BRT system was designed. In another word, each unique BRT system in each city
has different characteristics that might result in that BRT, as a whole system, will
perform differently from each other. Therefore to evaluate the shortcomings of each
BRT system should be done according to urban situations.

Some disadvantages can be concluded as following:

i.

Limited stations/bus stops: In order to decrease the average travelling time,

stations involved in a BRT system are not built as close as for local buses.
Some passengers will think that it is too far away if they live in the middle of
two adjacent bus stations, which can result in less ridership.

ii.

Separated bus lanes/corridors: Bus lanes have many disadvantages that need
to be overtaken.

Since extra space on roads are needed for bus lanes, bus stations, bus terminals and
so on, the already limited road space will be even more limited. BRT systems with
median layouts will either occupy the space of other vehicle lanes or green zones.
And shoulder located BRT systems will take much spaces from pedestrians and
cyclists.

As soon as a bus is broken somewhere on the road, bus lanes with a single lane for
each direction, will be even more difficult to drive on, since there is not enough
space on the bus lane for other buses to drive by. At the location of the broken bus,
buses from both directions will have to share the same lane and take turns to get
through until the broken bus is taken away.

At intersections, because of the priority principle, BRT lanes will be a serious

problem for other traffic lanes, especially for them who drive on the right side of the
BRT lanes and try to turn left (this is aiming at right traffic countries, for those
countries who drive on the left side of the road, the result will be the opposite). Take
Chengdu City, China for example, it is not allowed to take left turn at several main
intersections which is trying to guarantee the priority of BRT.

iii.

Painted lines/partial segregating barriers along BRT lanes: Yellow-painted

segregating lines or partial partitions, can be a potential risk for drivers in the
dark. At the same time, aggressive road users will not be stopped if they take
up the bus lanes, which can lead to accidents.

iv.

Unstable BRT performance in some cities at peak hours: Take China for
example, the efficiency of the newest built BRT systems is not high at peak

hours. There are too many passengers, however, limited bus units cannot
meet the demands of waiting passengers.
When buses cannot deliver passengers fast enough, stations will be overcrowed. In
Guangzhou City, sometimes the number of passengers released into stations must be
controlled within a certain amount at peak hours. And since drivers have not gained
the skill yet, it has happened that bus doors did not match platforms at station zones
properly.

v.

Traveller-information board: In some cities, while building bus information

boards, planners did not consider various demands from passengers. Some
boards are too small, so the travellers could not get the right information
which led to that they missed the bus or took the wrong bus.

Table 4.2 shows the most common advantages and disadvantages of a BRT system.
In order to understand them easily, conventional bus is also listed to show the
difference.
Table 4.2 BRT advantages and disadvantages comparing with conventional bus.

5.0

IMPLEMENTATION PROBLEMS AND SOLUTION

5.1

Problems Addressed by the BRT Project in Ahmedabad City

5.11

Regulatory problem
In Ahmedabad, government Policies and regulation adversely affect transit

and land use integration by causing an under or oversupply of urban land. Besides
that, the policies and regulatory were delaying urban development regeneration
opportunities. In Ahmedabad, the FAR is kept at a very low ratio of 1.80 throughout
the city, although developers can purchase an additional 25 percent which is, they
can increase the FAR from 1.80 to 2.25 if a property is located on a street that is
more than 18 meters wide, including BRT corridors. According to Ahmedabads
planners, allocating moderate FARs citywide is intended to disperse travel demand
and thus decongest the city. Their approach is based on the fact that the majority of
citizens in Ahmedabad travel less than 5.4 kilometers per day by walking, bicycling,
or using a two-wheeler and that this dispersed population density contributes to
relatively smooth traffic movement

Solution
In Ahmedabad cases, Cultural sensitivities and political considerations
approach is partly account for the practice of uniformly distributing FARs in
Ahmedabad. Landowners who are allowed to increase FARs stand to reap huge
financial windfalls. The desire to avoid any appearance of favoritism by granting

higher FAR concessions has prompted local government officials to assign the same
FARs to everyone, regardless of whether or not a parcel is near a BRT station.

5.12

Financial problem

The project of BRT in Ahmedabad facing a problem to find ways for finance
an investment to meet competing funding demand for infrastructure investment and
urban services. The main issue local governments face is finding ways to finance
these investments

and leverage the associated long-term economic and

environmental benefits when they are struggling to meet current demands for public
services and investments.

Solution
Yet Ahmedabad have strong financial management capacities, including
innovative infrastructure financing tools, such as municipal bonds, public-private
partnerships, Town Planning Schemes, and land value capture. They have also
secured strong financial support from higher-level governments for their BRT
investments. In order to upgrade their transit systems as their populations continue to
grow, they will need to mobilize more resources. Partnering with the private sector to
share the rewards and risks of TOD through various value capture approaches.

5.13

Retrofitting Problem
Retrofitting built-up areas is complicated for two reasons. First, private

businesses or households own most of the property in TOD areas, leaving the
government with little control. In comparison, the government can control the
construction of transit once it secures the right of the way and construction funds.

Second, as its name indicates, the redevelopment of built-up areas requires the
demolition of physical assets, such as infrastructure and housing stock, and their
reconstruction. Such decisions have both economic and social implications, including
the need to resettle displaced residents.

Solution

In Ahmedabad, there are the area redevelopment for example, closed textile
mill sites near BRT stations is taking place mainly under the initiative of private real
estate developers. Given the scarcity of large vacant land parcels in central cities, the
local government could be more aggressive in converting former mill parcels into
vibrant new activity centers, such as multipurpose cultural and sport complexes that
are well integrated with BRT. In this condition, Large-scale urban regeneration can
have a transformative impact on economic efficiency, environmental improvement,
and social conditions. Such projects require close collaboration by the city
administration, private developers, and citizens.

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