Page 24 - TrafficInfraTech Magazine - Linking People Places & Progres

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

labourers. Exhaustive safety measures that they are taking the right steps App agnostic QR codes on tickets for
were put in place before starting to ensure safety. This will help build the short term; mobile tickets and
operations with the establishment public trust and renew confidence passes on an app, and closed loop
of a Strategic Working Group for amongst commuters. It would apply cards for the medium term; and open
epidemic prevention and control, and to all three sectors viz. public transport loop cards for the long term.
the preparation of detailed SOPs for like government and private buses,
post- lockdown operations. intermediate public transport like Financing Public Transport
Safety measures for crew included auto rickshaws, and app based taxi Shreya Gadepalli noted that cities
health checkups and daily thermal operators. of a population of one million can get
scanning, providing protective The 5 step Approach to the COVID- USD 10 million (around INR 70 crores)
equipment, and special allowances 19 Green label certification: annually from parking charges. Cities
for working during the lockdown. like Bangalore and Chennai can get
To ensure passenger safety, frequent • Prepare - Create SOPs for all three 100 million dollars every year that can
sanitization of buses and premises is sectors, and develop training ensure public transport is affordable.
carried out, hand sanitizers provided modules London has recently increased its
on board, mandatory mask usage • Certify - Ensure operators’ due congestion pricing charge in a move
enforced, and physical distancing diligence, capacity building with to reduce congestion. While self-
implemented. Buses are running third party review sufficiency has to be brought at the
at 50% capacity with boarding • Monitor - fortnightly renewal of city level, it has to be also supported
from the rear and alighting from label with internal and external from the state and national levels.
front protocols in place. Ideally a reviewing Juergen Baumann, Project Director,
No Standees policy should also be • Rebuild trust - Digital platform for SMART- SUT, GIZ added that with the
implemented to prevent further passengers to raise concerns with lockdown in Indian cities starting to
spread of infection.
operators
In addition, Communication and • Reward - Support operators who
Outreach campaigns such as dynamic comply
information displays in terminals, Highlighting the shift to digital
awareness material inside and outside ticketing, he said it can reduce the
the buses, and training programs
from the Department of Health and high transmission risk by reducing
Welfare have been carried out. Other contact, and also help trace
measures to be implemented include passengers. In the long term, this shift
digital ticketing, weekly passes and will be a customer centric initiative
QR code scanning on buses, and to improve public transport mode
implementing Bus Priority Lanes. share, optimize operational efficiency
and enable strategic planning. The
COVID-19 Green Label recommendations Gerald gave are

According to Gerald Ollivier, Lead ease and public transport resuming
Transport Specialist at the World in urban areas, there is a challenge
Bank, our response in the coming for cities to provide reliable transport
months will define the next decade and ensure safety. In India, public
of public transport, a large ecosystem transport will be the most preferred
with a number of STUs and also mode, but the questions are : Do
several private operators.
you get sufficient information about
Speaking on the need of a COVID-19 the expected demand for transport
green label, he said that this voluntary services? Can you provide sufficient
certifying process to qualify transport staff at the bus stops to ensure
operators who meet certain criteria, that there are no conflicts if the bus
would allow them to communicate cannot take on more passengers?

24 April-May 2020 / TrafficInfraTech www.trafficinfratech-com-500653.hostingersite.com