Determination and analysis of informal public transport stops

Abstract

In India the role of Informal Public Transport is significant as they poised to fill the gap between the demand and supply of public transportation. Increment in urban population, income per capita alongside inadequate existing public transportation infrastructure have stimulated their usage as convenient and affordable alternative. This study focuses on the study of para transit scheme operated in New Delhi by Government of NCT of Delhi in the name of Gramin Sewa Scheme introduced in 2010 to address the connectivity of rural areas, resettlement and unauthorized colonies to main roads.The research aims to understand the operation of demand driven Gramin Sewa Vehicles on different routes in New Delhi to identify the pattern of stop locations. The methodology is developed to determine the distance within which such vehicles address commuters at each stop locations. This study covers five sample Gramin Sewa routes with 48 stop locations to study Paratransit operations and accessibility to Gramin Sewa stops.The PTA tool kit based audits and user surveys done on sample stop locations to evaluate score based accessibility and safety characteristics. The paper concludes with the result that commuters prefer safety and security over comfort and convenience. Keywords: Informal public transport, Informal stop infrastructure, Pedestrian accessibility