Public Transport Now!
Re-energizing the demand for better bus services during and beyond COVID
June 23 | 11 AM – 1 PM
*** Please register for the webinar here.***
On the International Public Services Day (June 23), we invite you to join us for a discussion on ‘Public Transport Now! Re-energizing the demand for better bus services during and beyond COVID’.
The discussion will focus on the political economy and social welfare aspects of providing bus transport as public service in Delhi. It will bring together the perspectives of an esteemed transport planner, a member of feminist collective demanding safe cities, a public services advocate, and so many more actual and potential bus users.
Speakers
Prof. Geetam Tiwari (TRIPP, IIT Delhi)
Dr. Kalpana Viswanath (Co-founder and CEO, Safetipin)
Evita Das (Researcher, IGSSS)
Presentations will be followed by Q&A and open discussion. The session will be moderated by Nishant, a member of Sustainable Urban Mobility Network (SUM Net) India.
Please register for the webinar here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
The outbreak of COVID and the multiple crises that have ensued in its aftermath have exposed the problematic aspects of urbanization, especially social instability and environmental unsustainability that it causes. Mass-scale reverse migration from cities has brought people to think about the precarious material conditions and deep social insecurities of urban toiling classes. However, what is unique about this period of upheaval is that not only the marginalised people have caught some public and media attention after decades of silencing but the marginalised ideas such as universal health care, public distribution system, and necessary infrastructure for sustainable transport are also gaining wider popularity and acceptance. The role of the welfare state has seldom been as pertinent as today. As the desire for renegotiation of social contract grows stronger in the face of brazen injustices, people are demanding that public goods and services be made truly universally accessible.
Bus-based public transport is considered an essential public service and its universal provision is crucial for meeting the mobility needs of urban society. Buses are not only the most efficient carriers of a large mass of people but they are also an indispensable component of a sustainable city. Though there has been a revival of interest in improving the bus services in Delhi over the past decade, there is a lot to be done to make the bus transport system safely accessible and reliable for all.
To assert the demand for better bus-based public transport services in Delhi during and beyond the pandemic, we are launching the campaign “Reclaim the Bus”. This campaign demands that:
1. Bus services must be considered essential services and along with pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure buses should get priority in road space allocation.
2. Workers running the bus service are essential workers and their safety and well-being must be the responsibility of the state.
3. Bus-based public transport should be made free for all. The bus users are not consumers but citizens and bus is a vehicle for accessing the right to mobility and right to the city.
4. Necessary actions must be taken urgently to make the journey on the bus safe for all both during and after the pandemic.
5. Reliability of schedule and journey time should improve and bus users must be considered as equal stakeholders in the planning and running of buses.
This event will also mark the launch of the ‘Reclaim the Bus’ campaign. Please read our full statement and the list of demands. Please endorse the campaign here. You may read more about the campaign here.
Details of the next session of the webinar series will be out shortly. Please stay connected.
Organizers:
‘Reclaiming The Bus’
Campaign for Free, Safe and Reliable Bus-based Public Transport in Delhi
Institute for Democracy and Sustainability in association with Sustainable Urban Mobility Network (SUM Net) India