TRAVEL DEMAND CHARACTERISTICS IN THREE MEDIUM SIZED INDIAN CITIES

The development of public transport in medium sized Indian cities (with a population of 0.5-1.0 million) has followed diverse paths; some cities have adopted a conventional approach with state operated stage carriage bus services as the main carrier whilst others have left the provision of public transport to the private sector with intermediate public transport modes such as rickshaws and minibuses dominating. In other cities, a mixture of rickshaws and buses (with transport provided by both the private and public sectors) has evolved. Demand for travel (and specifically for public transport services) is likely to differ between cities, reflecting in part the scale of the services provided as well as factors such as land use, area and population of city, income, etc. The objective of this report is to compare household and travel characteristics in three Indian cities and assess whether the different public transport systems operated in each city result in identifiable differences in travel behaviour and transport expenditures incurred. The study was undertaken as part of a joint research programme sponsored by the Indian Association of State Road Transport undertakings, the Central Institute for Road Transport, the Town and Country Planning Organisation and the overseas unit of the Transport and Road Research Laboratory. (TRRL)