Regulating the Last Mile: Paratransit in Delhi
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Regulating the Last Mile: Paratransit in Delhi by Simon Harding MPhil, University of Oxford, 2009 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES (Resource Management and Environmental Studies) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) October 2017 © Simon Harding, 2017 Abstract Paratransit plays a vital role in cities in the Global South, including India. Paratransit modes - those which lack a fixed route and timetable - perform trips impractical or impossible on mass transit and, in Delhi, increasingly provide feeder services to the city‘s metro rail and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems. Despite their critical role in the urban transit ecosystem in Indian cities, paratransit operators have a poor reputation amongst the middle-classes and the English-language media for overcharging passengers and flouting regulations. In response, the current policy approach to paratransit regulation is marked by judicial and technical interventions. These are seldom empirically driven, and often represent a relative neglect of the paratransit sector. This study aims to correct this neglect by providing a detailed empirical account of paratransit operations and the regulatory environment in Delhi. It makes the case that paratransit is a vital last mile mode, and that evidence based regulation of paratransit modes is critical to improving public transport in Indian cities. This study does this by analyzing existing paratransit regulation and demonstrating that the current approach involves a heavy burden of compliance that inflates costs for operators. It then presents an empirical analysis of the economics of operating an auto-rickshaw using a survey of drivers (n=301). It finds that overcharging may be explained by the structure of operators‘ costs and revenues. A survey of passengers (n=689) provides data for a series of statistical models, which suggests that the incidence and magnitude of overcharging are explained by the ii economics of auto-rickshaw trip making and associated with such variables as trip distance and the location of the destination. It then seeks to explain the rise of battery-rickshaws as a mode paratransit in the city and the lessons provided by their sudden proliferation. A fieldwork survey of drivers (n=302) provides data on their role and operating economics. A passenger survey (n=540) finds battery-rickshaws are largely replacing cycle-rickshaws. This case study sheds light on the environment in which urban transportation policy decisions are made. The study concludes by presenting some policy recommendations for paratransit in Delhi. iii Lay summary This thesis looks at the way paratransit is regulated in Delhi. Paratransit refers to public transport vehicles that operate without fixed routes and timetables, such as auto-rickshaws, battery- rickshaws and cycle-rickshaws. Paratransit plays a crucial role in urban transportation in Delhi by providing a feeder service to the city‘s expanding metro system, and catering for trip impossible or impractical on other modes of public transport. Despite its importance, paratransit and its operators have a poor public reputation for overcharging passengers and flouting regulations. This study uses empirical data on Delhi‘s paratransit sector to argue that the problems experienced by paratransit operators and passengers can be tackled by improving the way the sector is regulated. However, to achieve this urban planners must focus less on large-scale prestige projects, such as new metro lines and flyovers, and more on the thousands of individual operators that comprise the paratransit sector. iv Preface The design of the research project, data collection and analysis are all the work of the author unless indicated otherwise below. Material from chapter 1 has been published: Harding, S. E., Badami, M. G., Reynolds, C. C., & Kandlikar, M. (2016). Auto-rickshaws in Indian cities: Public perceptions and operational realities. Transport policy, 52, 143-152. The lead author was responsible for all material from that manuscript that appears in this thesis. Co-authors provided comments, edits and guidance for this material. This material appears in section 1.7. Material from chapter 2 has been published: Harding, S., Kandlikar, M., & Gulati, S. (2016). Taxi apps, regulation, and the market for taxi journeys. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 88, 15-25. The lead author was responsible for the research and the writing of the entire manuscript. The co-authors provided comments, edits and guidance. This material appears in section 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3. Chapter 3 has been submitted for publication: Harding, S. & Kandlikar, M. (forthcoming). The Auto-rickshaw ―fleecing‖ problem – some empirical evidence. Section 4.5 of chapter 4 appears in this manuscript. The lead author was responsible for the research and the writing of the entire manuscript. The co-author provided edits, comments and guidance. Chapter 4 has been submitted for publication: Harding, S., & Kandlikar, M. (forthcoming) Fare v meter compliance by Delhi‘s Auto-rickshaw drivers. Section 4.5 does not appear in this manuscript. The manuscript is the work of the lead author with comments, edits and guidance by the co-author. Appendix E is taken from this manuscript and is the work of the co-author. An abridged version of chapter 5 has been submitted for publication: Harding, S. & Kandlikar, M. (forthcoming). Explaining the Rapid Emergence of Battery-rickshaws in Delhi: Supply- demand, Regulation and Political Mobilisation. The manuscript is the work of the lead author with comments, edits and guidance by the co-author. Chapter 6 has been published: Harding, S. (2014) The Battery-rickshaw crisis in Delhi, Journal of Indian Society and Law, 6 (Winter), pp.74-88. The manuscript is entirely the work of the author. This thesis is based on research that received clearance from the University of British Columbia Behavioural Research Ethics Board (BREB) under the following certificate numbers: H14- 00569, H15-02218 and H14-00493. Given that material in this thesis has appeared in publications, there will be redundancies. vi Table of contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... ii Lay summary ................................................................................................................................ iv Preface .............................................................................................................................................v Table of contents ......................................................................................................................... vii List of tables................................................................................................................................. xii List of figures .............................................................................................................................. xiii List of abbreviations .................................................................................................................. xiv Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................... xvi Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................1 1.1 Rationale ......................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Population growth, urbanisation and urban planning ..................................................... 3 1.3 The middle classes, mobility and motorisation............................................................... 7 1.4 The problems of motorisation ....................................................................................... 12 1.5 The public transport response ....................................................................................... 17 1.6 Paratransit and the Delhi Master Plan 2020 .................................................................. 22 1.7 Perceptions of paratransit - auto-rickshaws .................................................................. 29 1.7.1 Auto-rickshaws research questions ........................................................................... 32 1.7.2 Battery-rickshaw research questions......................................................................... 33 1.8 The structure of this thesis ............................................................................................ 36 Chapter 2: Regulating paratransit .............................................................................................38 2.1 Introduction – the QQE framework .............................................................................. 38 vii 2.2 Paratransit regulation: history and contemporary forms ............................................... 40 2.3 The rationales behind QQE regulations ........................................................................ 45 2.4 Applying QQE to auto-rickshaws ................................................................................. 49 2.4.1 Quantity controls ....................................................................................................... 51 2.4.2 Economic controls ...................................................................................................