A well-established and efficient public transport system is an essential service for the economic well-being and public health of a city. They have an important role in ensuring the urban dwellers access to education, jobs, social life, etc. The inherent characteristics of the Bus transport system make it the ideal mode for meeting the huge and increasing demand for passenger transport services. Bus transport makes the most optimum use of the available road space and fossil fuel by transporting the maximum number of people per unit of road space. A well-established and efficient public transport system is an essential service for the economic well-being and public health of a city. They have an important role in ensuring the urban dwellers access to education, jobs, social life, etc. The inherent characteristics of the Bus transport system make it the ideal mode for meeting the huge and increasing demand for passenger transport services. Bus transport makes the most optimum use of the available road space and fossil fuel by transporting the maximum number of people per unit of road space.
However, not a single city in India has an adequate public transport system. Out of over 7000
cities, only 198 have city bus services. The consequences are loss of Gross Domestic Product due to traffic congestions, stressful commute, road rage, unsafe travels, fatalities on road, deteriorating air quality in the city impacting health of vulnerable city dwellers.
It is evident that bus-based public transport in cities needs immediate attention.
Through the Bus campaign, SUM Net hopes to engage people and peoples’ organizations in
different cities of India in:
- recognizing the need to improve Bus-based Public Transport (BBPT) in their cities, and
- expressing the demand for BBPT improvement to the government, media and general public
The long-term objective is to make our cities healthy and the economy robust by ensuring increase in the modal share of BBPT in cities. This will require creating an enabling environment for safe, affordable and efficient bus system.
Over the last 10 years, SUM Net has been working in different cities to improve sustainable mobility ecosystem through participatory decision-making. In this regard, SUM Net recognizes the importance of Bus-based Public Transport(BBPT) in Indian cities and is starting three public campaigns:
