Re-Orientation of Para-Transit When Confronted by Mass Transit System: an Approach Through User’S and Operator’S Perceptions
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Journal of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, Vol.13, 2019 Re-orientation of Para-Transit When Confronted by Mass Transit System: An Approach through User’s and Operator’s Perceptions N.V ASUDEVANa, Ninad GOREb, Rupali ZOPEc, Shriniwas ARKATKARd, Gaurang JOSHIe a,b,cResearch Scholar, Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, Surat- 395007, India aE-mail: [email protected] bE-mail: [email protected] cE-mail: [email protected] dAssociate Professor, Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, Surat- 395007, India dE-mail: [email protected] e Professor, Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, Surat-395007, India eE-mail: [email protected] Abstract: The present paper deals with the role of para-transit system of auto-rickshaws in fast growing metropolitan city of Surat in Indian state of Gujarat, when confronted by the city bus service and bus rapid transit system. The main objective of the paper is to re-organize the auto-rickshaws systems as feeder to mass transit considering expected shift to transit based on binary logit models with respect to the distance in the influence area. It is observed that the expected shift takes place up to 2km in the buffer area, beyond which it decreases. Furthermore, the para-transit system shows maximum passenger-kilometer within the buffer zone of this 2 km on each side of the trunk route. Interestingly, the present study also reveals that auto-rickshaw operators are able to maintain their present earnings even after redefining their roles from trunk travel mode to feeder mode. Keywords: Para-transit, Binary Logit, Willingness-to-shift, Re-organization, BRT system 1. INTRODUCTION Urban sprawl and uncontrolled population growth in developing countries result into higher demands in mobility and accessibility which in turn exert immense pressure on transport services and infrastructure. Public transportation plays a vital role in catering the mobility needs up to a huge extend and seem to be a failure in various developing economies including many Indian cities. More than three-fourth of the total vehicles plying on the urban roads in the country are private modes such as cars and two-wheelers. It is because of the unreliable and inadequate supply of public transportation system. This ultimately leads into the augmentation of parallel transport services (Intermediate Public Transport-IPT) like motorcycle-taxi in Bangkok, jeepney in Manila, van in Indonesia (Tangphaisankunet al. 2010), tata magic, auto- rickshaw, chakda, jeeps, kaduka, maruti omni, phutphut, matador van, tonga etc. in India, for short trips (Kumar et al. 2016; Wright et al. 2014). These systems are acting as trunk systems or in other words they are the primary form of public transport (Finn, 2012). The same scenario was reported in case of many Indian cities as well. Near about 75% of the global auto-rickshaw population is found in India as per study from Mani and Pant (2011). Even though the IPT 1508 Journal of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, Vol.13, 2019 systems are flexible in nature by route and reliable in the time schedule, the combination of private vehicles and IPTs create an adverse effect on the environment by creating noise pollution, air pollution, traffic congestion, road accidents etc. This necessitates the need of proper enforcement measures to control the use of private modes and IPTs in the urban trunk routes. In this context, this paper tried to study the effective re-orientation of para-transit system when confronted with newly implemented mass transit system like public buses and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system. The study area is considered for this research work is Surat-a fast growing Indian metropolitan city in the Indian State of Gujarat. As it isessential to understand the travel behaviour of population when a new transport policy or new strategy is implemented, studying the adverse impact of auto-rickshaw trips when confront with public transport also gains importance. Therefore, the objective of this study is to reorganize the para-transit system without affecting the economic conditions of its operators when confronted by the mass rapid transit system. 2. LITERATURE REVIEW Auto-rickshaws in Indian cities play a vital role in the urban economy being used widespread for various trip purposes with a lower rate compared to taxi or cabs as it has inherent flexibility nature and demand responsiveness (Ferro, 2015). Limitation in control of auto- rickshaw fares and routes leads sometimes to overcharging and misbehaving towards users (Harding et al. 2016). Moreover, a major contribution to noise pollution, air pollution and traffic congestion in Indian cities are from para-transit systems due to lack of strict regulations and enforcements. Adak et.al. (2016) studied the real-word driving cycles for shared auto- rickshaws which yield high emission factors. Key solutions to reduce the emerging issues are i) reorganization of para-transit system by considering both user’s, as well as operators' perceptions towards the system ii) they would have to formalise their business, or merge into new or existing operator entities in order to participate in the new systems (Schalekampand Behrens, 2010). Schalekamp and Behrens (2013) studied about the offers that have been made to para-transit operators in the city of Cape Town as a part of reform program in which they would incorporate into the new BRT system. Tangphaisankun et.al. (2010) investigated present choice consideration, influences of personal behavior, and attitudes towards the services of para-transit and public transport on the commuter choice selection in Bangkok. The main reason which discourages to choose either para-transit or public transport or combination of both is the difficulties, risk involved and inconvenience in using these mentioned systems. However, the para-transit services are still taken into consideration by the commuters in Bangkok. In sustainable point of view, mass transportation can be enhanced by designing para- transit system as a feeder to it. Mohaymany and Gholami (2010) developed a methodology used to analyse the possibility of using para-transit to feed mass transit in a region by Ant Colony Optimization Approach. Pan et.al. (2014) developed a two-level optimization model to design the appropriate service area and routing plans for para-transit system. A gravity- based solution heuristic is developed to obtain meta-optimal solutions to the model in a reasonable amount of time. Through sensitivity analysis, the proposed model can also be used to assist transit operators to minimize the operational cost. Del Mistro and Behrens (2015) studied the integration of informal transit system with new BRT system in Cape Town. The individual para-transit operators would be more profitable if they only provided feeder/distribution services. Providing feeder and distribution 1509 Journal of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, Vol.13, 2019 services to new choice passengers attracted to the BRT service may hold promise in this regard. In a nutshell, re-organization of para-transit incorporates challenging tasks and proper attention is necessary while implementing new strategies for strengthening the mass transit. For framing these policies and strategies which would heal the faults of the para-transit system, it is imperative to understand the operational characteristics of para-transit system in a broad way. Very limited studies are carried out in Indian cities about operational and behavioral characteristics of para-transit systems. Extensive research work that addresses the various issues faced by para-transit users and operators are necessary to frame sustainable transport policies. 3. DESCRIPTION OF THE STUDY AREA AND DATA COLLECTION Surat is one of the fastest growing cities in India located on the western sea coast. Surat city has been experiencing rapid growth in population with a decadal growth rate of 55.29% as per census 2011. Average annual growth rate of Surat city is 4.5% against National average annual growth of urban population of 2.8%. Population of Surat in 2011 is 4,466,826 with a density of 13680persons/km2. At present, the vehicular population in Surat city is about 2.4 million with an average growth rate of 35% (RTO Surat, 2015). About 90% of the total vehicle consists of private vehicles like two-wheelers and four-wheelers. The city suffers from inadequate Public Transport System with a modal share of less than 1%, against the desired share of 40% to 60%. Insufficient Public Transit System in the city over more than a decade has led to rapid growth of two-wheeler and three-wheeler vehicles, thereby inducing propensity towards usage of private vehicle for performing trips. This has indeed resulted into problems like traffic congestion, delay, lack of safety and security etc. About a lakh auto-rickshaws are plying on the city roads with a modal share of 4%. In direction to achieve the desired objective, the study area is confined to urban areas of Surat city. To apprehend the existing characteristics of para-transit operators, para-transit users and BRT users,para-transit operator survey, para-transit user survey as well as on board BRT survey was conducted across the city. A well-designed questionnaire was prepared for all the three surveys and the responses were captured and noted at the time of interview. Both revealed as well as stated preference questions were asked in all three types of surveys. Para-transit operator survey aims to get the detailed operational characteristics of auto-rickshaws whereas user survey intended to get the auto-rickshaw passenger behavior. On board BRT survey was useful for availing perceptions of public transport usage directly from the passengers travelling in that system. Two important characteristics were obtained from on board BRT survey; i) whether the passengers are ready to use auto-rickshaw as a feeder to BRT? If so, upto what distance? ii) if auto- rickshaw is not considered as a feeder, what are the other likely modes of access to BRT system.