handbook on para-transit service design in indian context ... 4.pdf · service level optimisation...

Summary Report

Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs

Government of India 89

4. Handbook on Para-transit Service Design in Indian Context Part 1: Operation and Regulation

Service Level Optimisation between Public Bus and Para-transit Services along a Transport Corridor

90

Department of Architecture and Regional Planning Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur

Summary Report



Para- transit plays an extremely significant role in catering to the passenger travel

demand in developing countries. These include a multitude of services ranging from

carpooling, premium or shared ride taxi and auto-rickshaw, dial-a-ride services, jitney

and auto-rental services (Roos & Alschuler, 1975) and lies somewhere between fixed

route services and flexible services. In India, poor public transit services and lack of

last mile connectivity has led to the growth of para-transit modes such as taxis, auto-

rickshaws, cycle rickshaws etc. While, motorized para-transit is considered as

‘contract carriage’ i.e., vehicles which carries passengers for hire, in most

metropolitan cities, para-transit modes can only operate along fixed routes. Majority

of these routes act as feeder to the public transit corridors, with some even aligned

with the public transit corridors in certain stretches in order to meet the increased travel

demand of the population. Thus, para-transit in form of shared auto rickshaws plying

along fixed routes is an integral part of the transit system and acts in many ways like

a ‘stage carriage’ i.e. motor vehicles which carries passengers against fares paid by

them for the trip. However, fixed route para-transit system has not been considered in

formal regulatory policies. These services are usually provided by private individuals

who are loosely bound by the dictates of their union and in many cases do not even

comply with basic traffic regulations. Lack of regulation also leads to various issues

such as operational inefficiency, unfair practices and negligence towards the provision

of services as per users’ expectations, lack of accountability to confront the problems

faced by stakeholders and lack of enforcement of regulations. Even small and medium

sized cities face similar issues, although, non-compliance with regulations varies

among different cities. This has also led to a lack of realization of the contributions of

these services in terms of meeting travel demand. In order to address these issues, there

is a need for regulating para-transit services towards improving operational efficiency,

better service quality and minimization of enforcement issues. This will further

enhance integration with public transit, travel demand management, cost optimization

and improved patronage of the transit system, reduction of externalities such as

pollution and congestion and mitigation of the issue of last mile connectivity.

This handbook presents different tools required to regulate the para-transit (auto-

rickshaw) services and to develop a broad framework for integrating fixed route para-

transit services with bus routes in Indian cities. This handbook also presents a detail


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review of para-transit operations and regulations in Indian cities where we have

focused on operator, user and regulator’s perspectives. Additionally, route level

operation parameters such as headway/frequency, travel time, passenger demand, fleet

size, trip schedules etc. have been explored in detail. The study involves detailed

literature review, expert opinion (including auto-rickshaw operators) and user surveys

for every aspect of para-transit operations. This handbook can be utilised by the

regulators and policy makers to formulate policies regarding service quality and fleet

size regulations. Service quality regulation starts with the assessment of service

quality. While the first step is to identify the various relevant quantitative and

qualitative service quality attributes, users’ perceived level of satisfaction is utilised

to determine service delivery levels for quantitative service attributes. The minimum

service delivery levels are determined based on the lower threshold of LOS C and the

minimum acceptable service levels of the users, while the feasible maximum service

level is identified on the basis of the point of maximum marginal utility for service

providers. The users’ desired service level has been taken into consideration in

determining the upper service delivery limit in certain cases where the point of

maximum marginal utility was even higher. Moreover, considering the nature of

infrastructure and financial limitation in developing countries like India, this

handbook suggests various prioritisation methodologies. Based on users’ stated and

derived importance for various quantitative and qualitative service attributes, the

operators can easily take decisions on improving transit service attributes based on

their urgency for improvement and their influence on the overall level of satisfaction.

The fleet size regulation involves estimation of optimum fleet size as per user demand

and operator perspective which would further help policy makers to design an efficient

and cost effective integrated public transit system by minimisation of the social cost

of the services while ensuring profit for para-transit operators.

4.1. Aim and objectives

This study aims to develop the different tools required to regulate the para-transit (auto-

rickshaw) services and to develop a framework for integrating fixed route para-transit

services with bus routes in Indian cities.

Summary Report



The principal objectives are:

i. Service quality regulation

ii. Fleet size regulation

iii. Integration of public and para-transit services

iv. Institutional set-up and reforms

4.2. Study area

In order to study para-transit services in different Indian cities, three different sized cities have

been selected. The study has been carried out in the city of Kolkata (West Bengal),

Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and Rajkot (Gujarat).

4.2.1. Kolkata

In Kolkata, public transportation modes include metro services, tram services, railway

services, ferry services, public and private bus services and para-transit services. The para-

transit modes in the city, namely auto-rickshaws, e-rickshaws, pedal-powered non-motorized

cycle rickshaws and hand-pulled cycle rickshaws act mainly as a feeder to these public

transportation modes. The para-transit system in Kolkata serves approximately 14.5 % of the

total passenger travel demand, of which the auto-rickshaws serve about 46.5 % of the total

para-transit travel demand (CMP, 2008). Majority of the auto-rickshaws caters to intra-zonal

or short distance trips. Unlike most Indian cities, auto-rickshaw services in Kolkata are

designed to act as a stage carriage system. Thus, these modes offer shared services and operate

along fixed routes except in some parts of Salt Lake area (under Bidhan Nagar Municipal

Corporation area) where it operates as a flexible transit. Around 70,000 auto-rickshaws

operate in the city in contrast to the actual number of registered auto-rickshaws (11,315)

(Basu, 2017; Notification No. 1276-WT/4M-23/95, dated 31.3.2017, Beltala RTO). As on

2017, the Road Transport Authority (RTA) states that, 125 auto-rickshaw routes operate in

the city with a fixed number of auto-rickshaws per route. 24 routes operated by private

operators’ act as feeder to the EM Bypass (Notification No. 1276-WT/4M-23/95, dated

31.3.2017, Beltala RTA). Auto-rickshaws are provided with route licenses by the RTA, and

they are permitted to ply only along their licensed routes. Route permit laws are very strict

under KMC and auto-rickshaw drivers are heavily fined in case of permit violation. It has been

observed that, auto-rickshaws plying within the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (BMC)

often violate their route permits.


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The current study is based along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass (EM Bypass) which is a 29

km long major corridor located on the eastern periphery of the KMC area and connects the

new CBD areas in Salt Lake with the densely populated south and south-eastern region of

Kolkata. This corridor connects Kamalgazi in Rajpur-Sonarpur (South Kolkata) to Ultadanga

in Bidhannagar (North- east Kolkata) as shown in Map 1-1. A BRT system was also proposed

along this corridor. An elevated metro rail system which is also aligned through the same

corridor is expected to soon initiate operation. As explained earlier, auto-rickshaws operate

along fixed feeder routes to the corridor serving about 17.6 % of the total passenger travel

demand (CMP, 2008). Major terminal auto-rickshaw stops in this stretch include Ruby

General Hospital, Gariahat, Jadavpur 8B bus stop, Garia, Sealdah Court Complex,

Karunamoyee and Ultadanga. Intermediate stops include Tagore Park, Panchanangram,

Bengal Chemical, Mukundpur, Rajpur, Patuli, Golpark, etc (refer to Map 4-1).

4.2.2. Visakhapatnam

Visakhapatnam is the largest city and is the financial capital of Andhra Pradesh. The city is

served by multiple modes such as railway, bus transit and para-transit services. Para-transit

system in Vishakhapatnam also plays a significant role in urban public transportation serving

about 45 % of the total passenger travel demand (GVMC, 2008). Para-transit modes in

Vishakhapatnam include three seat capacity auto-rickshaws most of which are modified into

eight seat capacity auto-rickshaws, six seat capacity Chhakdas (three-wheeled, multi-utility

and rudimentary vehicle manufactured locally that runs on diesel) and eight seat capacity vans.

These modes offer shared services and operate as a flexible service along the public transport

corridors rather than operating along the fixed feeder routes as in Kolkata and act as a major

competition to the public bus system. Although, the auto-rickshaws have flexible routes, it has

been seen that, there are certain major locations in the city where these shared services operate.

Like Kolkata, majority of the auto-rickshaws caters to intra-zonal or short distance trips.

Around 55,800 auto-rickshaws operate in the city in contrast to the actual number of registered

auto-rickshaws (18,800) (RTA, 2016). As there are no fixed route services, route licenses are

not issued for auto-rickshaws.

The study is focused on the 21 km long stretch of RTC- Pendurthi BRT corridor from

Pendurthi to RTC Complex as shown in Map 1-2. Especially three-seater auto-rickshaws and

Chhakdas operate along all public bus corridors providing flexible shared services. Major

auto-rickshaw stops in this stretch include Visakhapatnam railway station, NAD junction,

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RTC Complex, MVP colony, Convent junction and Maddillapalem bus station (refer to Map

4-2).

4.2.3. Rajkot

Rajkot is the major centre of the Saurashtra region in Gujarat and served as its capital from

1948 to 1956. Rajkot is served by multiple modes such as railway, bus transit and para-transit

services. Para-transit system in Rajkot also plays a significant role in urban public

transportation but serves about 11 % of the total passenger travel demand (LCMP, 2014).

Para-transit modes in Rajkot include motorised vehicles including three seat capacity auto-

rickshaws and six seat capacity Chhakdas (with specifications similar to those operating in

Vishakhapatnam) and non-motorized pedal-powered cycle rickshaws. These modes offer

shared services and operate as a flexible service along the public corridors and act as a major

competition to the public bus system. Like Vishakhapatnam, these modes serve both short and

long distance trips. 2053 registered auto-rickshaws operate in the city (RUDA, 2016). It has

been observed that, absence of a well-planned public transport system has led to the

dominance of the para-transit modes in Rajkot. On an average, the chhakdas and the three

seater auto-rickshaws undertake 10 trips and 16 trips per day (CEPT University, 2014)

respectively. As there are no fixed route services, route licenses are not issued for auto-

rickshaws. The approximate frequency of available para-transit services in the city is estimated

to be 55 auto-rickshaws/hour/directions during the peak hour. There are about seven major

para-transit stop nodes, namely, Bus Terminal, Hospital Chowk, Trikon Baug, Greenland

Chowk, Gondal Chowk, Kothariya Road Chowk and the Rail Terminal. These stops connect

Gondal Chowk, KKV Circle, Madhapar Chowk, Greenland Chowk and Aji Industrial area

(LCMP, 2014).

The study is focused on the entire BRT corridor as shown in Map 1-3 where mostly three-

seater auto-rickshaws and Chhakdas operate providing flexible shared services. Major auto-

rickshaw stops in this stretch include Madhapur Chowk, Ramadev Pir Chowk, Nanavati

Chowk, Raiya Chowk, Indira Chowk, K.K.V. Hall, Umiya Chowk and Gondal Chowk (refer

to Map 4-3).




Map 4-1 Auto-rickshaw routes and major stops along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass corridor in Kolkata

Handbook on Feasible Service Delivery Ranges for Bus Transit in Indian Context- Part 2: Operator Perspective



Map 4-2 Major auto-rickshaw stops along the proposed BRT corridor in Vishakhapatnam




Map 4-3 Major auto-rickshaw stops along the existing BRT corridor in Rajkot

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4.3. A review of para-transit operations in India

This section presents the comparative review of various aspects of para-transit operations in

Kolkata, Vishakhapatnam and Rajkot which includes discussions on stakeholder

characteristics, vehicle specifications, daily trip characteristics, auto-rickshaw route

characteristics, route permits, scheduling approach, service operation, safety and security,

fare, air pollution, traffic congestion, traffic prosecutions and infrastructural facilities. While,

the detail review is presented in Handbook on Para-transit Service Design in Indian Context

Part 1: Operations and Regulations, few aspects are presented below.

4.3.1. Vehicle specifications

The different types of para-transit vehicles operating in the three cities are shown in Figure

4-1, Figure 4-2 and Figure 4-3. All auto-rickshaws in Kolkata are manufactured by Bajaj RE

with 4-stroke engine technology with maximum seating capacity of 4 people (excluding

driver). 4-stroke engines, while more expensive to repair, are less prone to break downs and

generate less emissions. Results of the primary survey indicate that, on an average, auto-

rickshaws require 4-5 litres of LPG daily in case of Kolkata (refer to Figure 4-1). This allows

them to operate 100-125 km before requiring re- fuelling. In case of Vishakhapatnam and

Rajkot, the fuel (Petrol, Diesel, CNG) consumption is 5-6 and 5-7 litres respectively. Most of

the operators need to commute more than 120 km per day to earn profit. Para-transit vehicles

are found to be of different makes such as Bajaj RE, TVS, Mahindra Alfa, Mahindra

Champion, Mahindra Supro, Piaggio Ape, Atul Smart in case of Vishakhapatnam and Bajaj

RE, Mahindra Gio (4-stroke), Atul GEM Paxx in case of Rajkot. In Rajkot, 80-90 % vehicles

have 2-stroke engines.

First aid kit and GPS (Global Positioning System) was not found to be present in all three

cities, though considered important by auto-rickshaw users. This is mainly due to the

negligence of the authorities in ensuring the same through regular inspections.


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Figure 4-1 Different kinds of para-transit vehicles operating in Kolkata (LPG auto-rickshaws) (Primary survey, 2017)

Figure 4-2 Different kinds of para-transit vehicles operating in Vishakhapatnam (three seat capacity auto-rickshaws modified into eight seat capacity auto-rickshaws) (Primary survey, 2017)

Figure 4-3 Different kinds of para-transit vehicles operating in Rajkot (three seat capacity auto-rickshaws and six seat capacity Chhakdas) (Primary survey, 2017)

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Table 4-1 Fuel and related aspects of auto-rickshaws in Kolkata, Vishakhapatnam and Rajkot (Primary survey, 2017)

Fuel characteristics Kolkata Vishakhapatnam Rajkot Type of fuel Liquefied Petroleum

Gas (LPG) Petrol, Diesel, CNG Petrol, Diesel, CNG

Fuel tank capacity (in litres)

16.5 10.5 (Three seat capacity Mahindra Alfa), 33 (Eight seat capacity Mahindra Supro)

10.5 (Four seat capacity Mahindra Gio)

Average fuel consumed per day (in litres)

4-5 5-6 (CNG) 5-7 (CNG)

Fuel price (in INR per litre)

40* 81 (Petrol), 74 (Diesel), 40 (CNG)**

75 (Petrol), 72 (Diesel), 50 (CNG)**

Ideal fuel efficiency (in kilometres per litre)

33 33 33

Observed fuel efficiency (in kilometres per litre)

25 20 (in case of petrol driven vehicles)

18 (in case of petrol driven vehicles)

*Subsidized price **Price on 2018-06-14

4.3.2. Daily trip characteristics

Trip characteristics were recorded from auto-rickshaw operator’s survey. In addition, travel

time between the terminal stops was estimated for different time durations of service hours.

Vehicle registration number was also recorded at the selected terminal stops in order to assess

the cycle time of vehicles.

It was observed that, during the first hour of service, there is no revenue generation. This is

because average vehicle operates around 35 kilometres (dead kilometres) without carrying or

accepting passengers or carrying may be one passenger when coming from garage to begin its

first trip of the day or while returning back to the garage. In addition, high dwell time per day

(approximately 1.5 hours in case of Kolkata and 1.3 hours in case of Vishakhapatnam) also

indicates the inefficiency of operation (refer to Table 4-2 and Table 4-3).On the other hand,

average break time of 2 hours for Kolkata and 1.5 hours for Rajkot (refer to Table 4-2 and

Table 4-4) was felt to be inadequate by the drivers. Break time is usually spent in vehicle due

to lack of waiting and resting spaces.


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It has been observed that the demand supply gap and inadequate rule enforcement and the

profit-making motives of operators, makes overloading a common practice. In case of

Vishakhapatnam, average occupancy of 7 has been observed per day against the maximum

designed capacity of 4. This is because additional seats have been added in the vehicle with

the aim to increase the passenger-carrying capacity. This accounts for inadequate rule

enforcement due to which safety issues arises for passengers. In case of Kolkata, the average

occupancy per day is 4.5 against designed seating capacity of 3. Overloading is mostly

observed in routes number 94, 106, 120 and Ruby- Jadavpur (via Kalikapur) route during off-

peak hours.

Table 4-2 Daily trip characteristics of auto-rickshaws in Kolkata based on auto-rickshaw driver’s perception (Primary survey, 2017)

Daily trip characteristics Morning

peak hour (8:00 a.m.– 11:00 p.m.)

Off- peak hour

(11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., 8:00 p.m.- 8:00 a.m.)

Evening peak hour (5:00 p.m.– 8:00 p.m.)

Average* (per day)

Average duration of services (in hours per day)

3 18 3 15

Average revenue generated (in INR per day)

200 100 200 500

Average dwell time (in hours per day)

NA NA NA 1.5

Average break time (in hours per day)

0 1.5 0.5 2.0

Average number of trips per day 7 4 7 18 Average distance travelled (in km per day)

45 25 45 90

Average length of trip (in km)

NA NA NA 5

Average dead km (in km per day)

15 0 15 35

Average occupancy (in pax. per day)

4 4 5 4.34

Average passengers (in pax. per day)

28 16 35 79

Average cycle time (in minutes)

25 90 25 58

Average frequency (in vehicles per hour)

55 45 55 50

Average speed (in km per hour)

NA NA NA 30

Average time taken to complete the trip (in minutes)

NA NA NA 10

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Table 4-3 Daily trip characteristics of auto-rickshaws in Vishakhapatnam based on auto-rickshaw driver’s perception (Primary survey, 2017)

Daily trip characteristics

Morning peak hour (7:00 a.m.– 11:00 a.m.)

Off- peak hour

(11:00 a.m.– 4:00 p.m., 8:00 p.m.- 7:00 a.m.)


Average* (per day)


4 16 4 15


150 100 200 450


NA NA NA 1.3


0.5 1.5 1.0 3.0


30 25 35 90


NA NA NA 5


5 0 5 10


6 6 8 7


40 22 42 104


30 60 35 40


50 40 60 50


NA NA NA 30

Average time taken to complete the trip (in minutes)

10.4 10 10.5 10

Table 4-4 Daily trip characteristics of auto-rickshaws in Rajkot based on auto-rickshaw driver’s perception (Primary survey, 2017)



Off- peak hour

(11:00 a.m.– 5:00 p.m., 8:00 p.m.- 7:00 a.m.)


Average* (per day)


NA NA NA 14


NA NA NA 250


NA NA NA 1.0


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Off- peak hour

(11:00 a.m.– 5:00 p.m., 8:00 p.m.- 7:00 a.m.)


Average* (per day)


NA NA NA 1.5


NA NA NA 64


NA NA NA 4


0 0 0 0


NA NA NA 4


NA NA NA 65


NA NA NA 55


45 35 45 40


NA NA NA 20

Average time taken to complete the trip (in minutes) 12.4 11 12.6 12

4.3.3. Auto-rickshaw permits

In case of Kolkata, auto-rickshaw numbers are capped by the government. However, this

system has resulted in illegal selling of permits in the black market. The total number of auto-

rickshaws observed was found to be more than the maximum number of permits issued for

many routes. It was also evident from the survey that, drivers often prefer to drive in the most

profitable routes of the city which incidentally were the ones where the biggest difference

between observed and registered fleet size was observed. However, in some routes the

observed numbers of vehicles are also found to be less than the number of permitted vehicles.

This demand supply gap is attributed to the lack of timely travel demand assessment and

revision of the limit of permits per route. In case of Vishakhapatnam and Rajkot, there is no

restriction on the number of route permits issued for auto-rickshaws, thus, freely allowing the

entry of new operators into the market. As explained earlier, till 2016, 18,800 auto permits

were issued in Vishakhapatnam, but actual number of auto-rickshaws plying on road are

estimated to be 55,800 (RTA, 2016). Allocation of route permits is done without proper data

on passenger travel demand and commuting patterns which results in operational irregularities

Summary Report



and illegal entry of service providers. On the other hand, restriction on the number of the

permits without proper enforcement encourages illegalities, bribery and corruption, high

permit cost, high rent and limited opportunities to purchase auto-rickshaws (Harding et al.,

2016). The Road Safety Bill, 2015 proposed unified permit policy for all commercial vehicles

in order to bring transparency and ease of application. However, the Amendment Bill, 2016

does not address the issue of unified permits. Thus, proper route rationalization and fleet

size/route permit determination is required which should take into account the market and

traffic conditions and actual passenger travel demand to ensure better service quality.

4.3.4. Service operation

Another aspect of para-transit operation studied in detail is the variation of time to complete

one trip for different routes at different times of the day (refer to Figure 4-4). Detail surveys

were conducted in Kolkata for route number 58, 85 and Ruby- Jadavpur (via Kalikapur) route;

route from Maddilapalem to NAD Junction in Vishakhapatnam and route from Umiya Chowk

to Indira Chowk in Rajkot to ascertain the same. In Kolkata, it was found that, Ruby- Jadavpur

(via Kalikapur) route experiences delay in total journey time during the evening peak hour

due to congestion along the route while route number 85 experiences delay during off-peak

hours because of large dwell time at intermediate stops. In case of Vishakhapatnam and

Rajkot, for most of the routes, average time taken to complete the trip between auto-stops does

not vary to a large extent as delay in total journey time because of large dwell time in off-peak

hours is compensated by lower travel time because of less congestion in the routes.

Additionally, in order to estimate the supply and demand of para-transit services, boarding-

alighting survey was conducted at major auto-rickshaw stops along the selected transit

corridors in the three cities. Survey was conducted at Ruby More, Ultadanga, Patuli,

Chingrihata (CIT Building More) and Kalikapur in Kolkata; Pendurthi, Vepagunta,

Gopalapatnam, NAD Junction, Baji Junction, ITI Junction, Kancharapalem and RTC

Complex in Vishakhapatnam; Madhapur Chowk, Ramadev Pir Chowk, Nanavati Chowk,

Raiya Chowk, Indira Chowk, K.K.V. Hall, Umiya Chowk and Gondal Chowk (all major auto-

rickshaw nodes) in Rajkot. The boarding alighting count was conducted during the morning

and evening peak hours for both the directions to represent the passenger demand variations

and average passenger arrival rate at each stop during the service hours. Survey was done by

counting the number of passengers boarding and alighting the vehicle. Ratio of passenger

arrival rate and vehicle capacity is used to estimates the demand for auto-rickshaws while


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Summary Report



Figure 4-4 Temporal distribution of time taken to complete the trip during service period in Kolkata, Vishakhapatnam and Rajkot

0

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Temporal distribution of time taken to complete the trip during service period in Kolkata (up)

Route no. 58 (Phool Bagan More-C.I.T. Building)

Route no. 85 (Ultadanga Station-Salt Lake)

Ruby-Jadavpur PS (via Kalikapur)

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Temporal distribution of time taken to complete the trip during service period in Vishakhapatnam (up)

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Temporal distribution of time taken to complete the trip during service period in Rajkot (up)

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Temporal distribution of time taken to complete the trip during service period in Kolkata (down)

Route. no. 58 (Phool Bagan More-C.I.T. Building)

Route no. 85 (Ultadanga Station-Salt Lake)

Ruby-Jadavpur PS (via Kalikapur)

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Temporal distribution of time taken to complete the trip during service period in Vishakhapatnam (down)

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Temporal distribution of time taken to complete the trip during service period in Rajkot (down)




Figure 4-5 Temporal distribution of travel demand and supply of service during service period in Kolkata, Vishakhapatnam and Rajkot

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Temporal distribution of travel demand and supply of service during service period at CIT Building More in Kolkata (up)

Demand of the service Supply of the service

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Temporal distribution of travel demand and supply of service during service period at NAD Junction in Vishakhapatnam

(up)


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Temporal distribution of travel demand and supply of service during service period at Indira Chowk in Rajkot (up)


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Temporal distribution of travel demand and supply of service during service period at CIT Building More in Kolkata (down)


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Temporal distribution of travel demand and supply of service during service period at NAD Junction in Vishakhapatnam

(down)


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Temporal distribution of travel demand and supply of service during service period at Indira Chowk (down)


Summary Report



vehicle arrival rate gives us the estimates of vehicle supply. The calculated demand and supply

is further used to estimate demand supply gap. This will further help in designing the services

as per demand. Results show that, in case of C.I.T. Building More intersection, Beliaghata

Main Road in Kolkata, supply is mostly inadequate (refer to Figure 4-5). In case of

Vishakhapatnam and Rajkot, supply of auto-rickshaws is inadequate as per the demand at peak

hours.

4.4. A review of para-transit regulations in Indian cities

This section reviews the para-transit regulations in Indian cities and deliberate on different

strategies to regulate fixed and flexible route para-transit services which would help policy

makers to design an efficient and cost effective integrated public transit system.

In case of India, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) is responsible for

setting the regulatory framework and standards for motor vehicles at the national level. Along

with Motor Vehicles Act (MVA), 1988 and Central Motor Vehicle Rules (CMVR), 1989; the

overall policy framework for transportation in cities is provided by the National Urban

Transport Policy (NUTP) which is formulated by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs

(MoHUA), Government of India. The respective State Governments formulates and deals

with issues regarding transportation, especially with reference to licenses, permits, their

renewals and other aspects of commercial vehicles through the Department of Transport. The

Department of Motor Vehicles and Regional Transport Authority (RTA) regulates operations

at the district level and nodal level respectively. In addition to the RTAs, there are additional

regional transport offices which regulate the para-transit system.

As discussed in the previous section, the lack of proper policies and timely amendment of acts

and rules by Governments leads to unregulated para-transit services in Indian urban areas. In

the absence of proper regulations, the para-transit services are characterized by rash driving

practices, operation by unregistered vehicles etc. The existing National Urban Transport

Policy, 2014 has recognized the importance of para-transit in serving a significant share of the

urban passenger travel demand and the lack of regulation for enforcement of disciplined

operations, infrastructure limitations and poor maintenance of vehicles. Thus, there is a need

to design a comprehensive set of guidelines for service quality assessment and design for para-

transit services in Indian urban areas.

The National Urban Transport Policy also highlights the need for planning para-transit

services both as feeder systems to public transit and also as main public transport in smaller

cities. However, there are no tools or frameworks to achieve the same.


110


Except RTA as the registering authority for all para-transit vehicles, the existing CMVA, 1988

and the State MVR do not focus on the responsibilities of institutions for the enforcement of

rules and regulations related to para-transit. It has also been observed that under the MVA, a

large part of regulation takes place at the state and district level which creates issues in

megacities (Kolkata) which may extend across district boundaries.

Although there are rules and regulations described by Motor Vehicle Act, 1988 for auto-

rickshaw registration, insurance and licensing but it has been observed that, these rules and

regulations are not properly enforced. Enforcement issues contribute to the problems related

to the traffic violations and accidents, overcharging, safety and security, infrastructure, space

availability and tampered meters.

Responsibility of granting of permits is undertaken by Regional Transport Authority in India

which issues permits to the auto-rickshaws for a fixed rate. The permit is valid for a period of

5 years which needs to get renewed periodically. Numbers of permits are regulated by the

government in order to ensure protection of income of drivers and safety. Government of India

in 2018 announced that vehicles that run on clean fuel would not need to get permits in order

to reduce the operating cost of vehicles (ToI, 2018).

Fare of auto-rickshaws is decided by State government as per Section 67, MVA, 1988. Most

of the states employ their own devised mechanisms for regulation and revision of fare. It has

been observed that in many states, there is a lack of timely revision of fare as per their devised

mechanism for revision by Hakim Committee, 2012.

4.4.1. Strategies for para-transit regulation

Service quality regulation

In order to regulate and assess the service quality of para-transit services, consideration of

user’s perspective help transport operators to estimate the service delivery levels and to

propose targeted incentives, services etc., to achieve the same. This results in provision of

services satisfying maximum number of users on a consistent basis which further helps to

increase transit ridership (Das, 2013). In order to form the basis of measurement of service

quality, the service quality attributes which the users perceive as being important to assess the

system performance should be identified first. Next, tools must be designed to determine

service delivery levels for these service quality attributes towards designing para-transit

services for large, medium and small cities in the Indian context.

Summary Report



Fleet size regulation

Fleet size regulation is interlinked with fleet schedule determination which is further preceded

by frequency setting which again varies during different times of the day as per the passenger

travel demand and as per expected service quality. In case of route network design usually

peak hour is only considered to ensure that the network can take care of the maximum load

whereas, service frequency design needs to be dynamic based on real time demand data.

Additionally, fleet size and schedule also depends on the simultaneous passenger travel

demand in both directions which usually varies significantly particularly in case of feeder

routes. Finally, para-transit services are provided by individual operators and there is a need

to ensure that each driver/operator makes adequate profit to ensure service continuity all

throughout the day.

Integration of public and para-transit services

Integration between public and para-transit services could be at the Transit Route Network

level as discussed in the previous section or could be at the operational level where time tables

are matched to ensure smooth transfer between bus and feeder services. Operational

integration could also indicate peak lopping where para-transit feeder routes could be extended

along transit corridors to take care of the peak hour passenger load. However, this requires

careful planning since, in case of medium sized cities, para-transit creates intense completion

along main transit corridors resulting in an inefficient, uncoordinated and fragmented public

transit system. Additionally, a few cities have experimented with fare and tariff integration

between para-transit and public transit where para-transit is reimbursed to bring passengers to

the transit system. Passengers can avail the use of feeder services using the same card or bus

ticket thus ensuring seamless intermodal connectivity. Finally, integration between formal

transit and informal transit requires an institutional setup to create all the rules, standards and

operational procedures and guidelines and provide the necessary hard and soft infrastructure

for such integration.

Institutional set-up and reforms

In order to solve most of the issues and challenges related to the para-transit sector in Indian

cities, para-transit services could be organized under a new implementing body i.e., Special

Purpose Vehicle (SPV). It has been observed that, SPV plays an important role in many similar

projects involving routes rationalization, fare fixation, provision of socio- economic benefits

to drivers etc. Some of the policy reforms at the institutional level that could be undertaken

are given below:


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i. There is a need to review the Central and State Motor Vehicles Acts and Rules. Some

of the features related to para-transit that can be included are the responsibilities of

various institutions or any new implementing body and standard clauses relating to

issuing and rationalizing the number of permits and fares. In addition, provisions must

be made to include metropolitan level decision making, clauses to integrate para-

transit services with other public transit services and formal consultative processes

related to route and service design.

ii. The driver survey findings also revealed several inefficiencies including financial

inefficiencies in the functioning of RTAs which encourages a system of unauthorized

agents. Therefore, simplification of the application processes is recommended by

making the processes online in line with the Digital India Programme of the

Government of India. This would involve setting up of online processes and

introducing training programs for officers and applicants and issuing and renewal of

permits with reasonable time-frames.

iii. At present, consultation amongst the stakeholders takes place informally through the

route committees. Statutorily recognizing the role of each of these stakeholders and

creating a formal stakeholder group with Government representatives (Department of

Transport and RTA), traffic police, judiciary system, agents, auto-rickshaw unions,

auto-rickshaw operators, academic experts and citizen groups to enable decisions on

city-based para-transit routes and traffic planning would help towards formulation of

an effective transportation policy.

Regulations for auto-rickshaw drivers

i. In order to solve the problem of financing of auto-rickshaws, the most appropriate

option would be institutionalizing the services under the umbrella of an SPV. Loans

would be much more easily available to the consortium as compared to individual

drivers, as they will be known by the SPV/ government, thus ensuring higher number

of driver-operators which will provide more stability to the route level operations and

will also increase the economic stability of the drivers.

In addition, the mandatory documentation required for availing loans may be reduced

since; auto-rickshaw drivers rarely have all the necessary paperwork which makes

them susceptible to avail the use of the informal loan markets. Thus, there is a need

for a mediator agency between drivers and banks such as driver cooperatives or social

Summary Report



entrepreneurs which would help to mitigate the lack of information about drivers for

the lending banks and vice versa.

ii. In order to avail the social benefits like finance, education, medical facilities etc., auto-

rickshaw unions should make aware the drivers about various schemes of the

Government like Janta Personal Accident Insurance, Swavalamban Pension Scheme

and Sarva Siksha Abhiyan etc. Also, fare fixation could consider these additional

expenses.

iii. Recommendations to improve drivers’ health and safety include regulations on the

working hours with adequate time for breaks, access to healthcare institutions,

promotion of healthier eating habits, periodic health check-ups etc. Occupational

training is also required which involves basic knowledge for prevention of fatigue at

work.

Enforcement

Policy makers should ensure proper enforcement of the rules and regulations. Enforcement

would be efficient if the government and traffic police can work together and present a united

and coordinated front against defaulters.

Permit system regulation

Permit system should be strictly enforced in order to achieve consistency in the para-transit

service quality for different routes and to stop the illegal growth of auto-rickshaws in the cities.

This would ensure reduction in demand supply gap. As explained earlier, the allocation of

routes and permits was found to be carried out without proper data. Thus, rationalisation of

permit system must be ensured based on periodic data collection on para-transit demand,

careful consideration of the market conditions, traffic conditions, environment and safety.

4.5. Service quality regulations

In case of developing countries, negligence towards the provision of services as per users’

expectations is one of the reasons for gradual shifting of transit passengers to private modes.

Therefore, it is important to assess users’ perception of service quality so that the services can

be delivered satisfying the maximum number of users on a consistent basis (TRB, 1999). The

importance of user perception has been underlined by various researchers as the primary

determinant of service quality assessment.

In order to form the basis of measurement of service quality, the service quality attributes

which the users perceive as being important for measuring the system performance should be


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considered. Several researchers have identified para-transit service attributes such as lack of

auto-rickshaw stop amenities, inconsistent frequency of vehicles, longer waiting times at auto-

rickshaw stops, overcrowding, overcharging, safety and security issues, etc. (Phun & Yai,

2016; Fuziwara & Zhang, 2013) as the major attributes for para-transit service quality

assessment. However, this needs to be investigated for the Indian context.

Next, for designing para-transit services as per users’ expectation, we need to ascertain service

delivery levels for these service quality attributes. Service providers often provide service

levels within the range of LOS C which are satisfactory service levels according to the transit

service benchmarks established by TCQSM. However, users’ expectations on desired service

levels differ from their level of satisfaction with existing services. It has been observed that

users often have higher expectations than their perceptions. Therefore, users’ Zone of

Tolerance (ZOT), i.e., the range of service bound by their minimum acceptable service and

the desired service level should be used to determine the service delivery levels when

designing the transit services. The Zone of Tolerance, however, depicts only the requirements

of the users and does not reflect the service providers’ willingness to deliver those service

levels which is determined by the total utility/disutility obtained by them to provide that

service level. The utility/disutility for transit service providers can be measured as the

cumulative number of users satisfied which is an indicator of mode choice and mode retention

as well as total revenue earned against a given change in service level. Unlike transit, para-

transit services are provided by individual operators who are motivated by their individual

profit and not by the overall profit of the route since the number of vehicles in each route is

also sometimes not regulated. However, in case number of vehicles in each route is fixed,

operators may be willing to maximize overall profit by providing improved service levels.

Thus there is a need to establish a range of service delivery levels considering both users’ and

para-transit operators’ perspective to regulate para-transit service quality (Das & Pandit 2015;

Das & Pandit, 2013).

Summary Report



4.5.1. Aim and objectives

The aim of this research is to establish a framework for service quality assessment for para-

transit services in Indian urban areas. The sub- objectives are:

i. Identification of appropriate service quality attributes for para-transit service quality

assessment

ii. Determination of Level of Service (LOS) scales based on user perception

iii. Determination of Zone of Tolerance (ZOT) based on user perception

iv. Determination of User Satisfaction Level (USL)

v. Determination of Total Utility (TU) and Marginal Utility (MU) for serve providers

vi. Determination of range of para-transit service delivery levels

vii. Prioritisation or ranking of the service quality attributes that need immediate attention

or can be improved later based on the resource availability

4.5.2. Para-transit service attributes

Initially, nine broad para-transit service quality attributes with 67 sub-attributes were

identified from literature review which were further refined considering the fixed-route

characteristics of para-transit services of the region. Table 4-5 and Table 4-6 shows the

quantitative and qualitative service quality attributes that are considered relevant for study

area. Among all attributes, the qualitative attributes are further divided into a number of sub-

attributes (refer to Table 4-7).

Table 4-5 Quantitative service quality attributes that are considered relevant for study area

Quantitative

attributes Definition

Auto-rickshaw stop

proximity

Auto-rickshaw stop proximity refers to the perceived distance from the

home, workplace, etc. to auto-rickshaw stop (unit: meters)

Headway of service Headway of service refers to the perceived time difference between any

two successive auto-rickshaws when they cross a designated point (unit:

minutes). It has been observed that users’ perceive a difference in headway

of service at terminal and intermediate stops (Primary survey, 2017)

Waiting time Waiting time refers to the perceived time spent by user at the auto-

rickshaw stop for next arriving vehicle (unit: minutes)

Service hours Service hours refers to the perceived time duration of auto-rickshaw

service operation on an average working day (unit: hours)


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Quantitative


Delay in total

journey time

Delay in total journey time refers to the perception of difference between

expected travel time and actual travel time (unit: minutes)

Crowding level

inside the auto-

rickshaw

Crowding level inside the auto-rickshaw refers to the perceived average

occupancy inside the vehicle (unit: pax.)

Cleanliness and

maintenance

frequency at auto-

rickshaw stop

Cleanliness and maintenance frequency refers to the perceived upkeep of

auto-rickshaw stop amenities (unit: days)

Table 4-6 Qualitative service quality attributes that are considered relevant for study area

Qualitative


Auto-rickshaw

stop design

Auto-rickshaw stop design refers to the facilities available within an auto-

rickshaw stop and its surrounding environment.

Auto-rickshaw

design

Auto-rickshaw design refers to the exterior and interior design features of the

auto-rickshaw.

Amenities within

auto-rickshaw

It refers to the Amenities present within the vehicle such as music system,

first aid box, etc.

Customer service Customer service refers to the assistance provided by the operators or

administrative units.

Auto-rickshaw

fare

Fare is the system to determine amount to be paid by transit passengers for a

given trip.

Safety and

security

It refers to the perception of safety and security while using the service.

Environmental

sustainability

Environmental sustainability deals with the factors contributing to the

quality of the environment.

Summary Report



Table 4-7 Sub-attributes of the quantitative para-transit service quality attributes

Qualitative

attributes Sub-attributes

Auto-rickshaw stop

design

Parking bays* Controlled entry and exit for facilitating channelized movement for

accessing auto-rickshaw* Quality pedestrian infrastructure to access the stops (accessibility)* Route and stop location availability at stop and other media Availability of schedule of other integrated transit modes (bus) at stop

and other media Availability of time and fare information for various routes at stop and

other media Availability of information regarding frequency of auto-rickshaws at

various routes at stop and other media Drop off bays or adequate space to allow other vehicles to pass Availability of shade from rain and sun Availability of seating infrastructure Availability of adequate lighting Availability of dust bins Availability of signage (directional, regulatory and prohibitory) Availability of fire extinguishers* Provision of CCTV surveillance* *sub-attributes which are not considered for intermediate auto-rickshaw design

Auto-rickshaw design Appropriate seating arrangement and leg space (ease to move and sit) Availability of luggage space Adequate lighting inside the vehicle Availability of side rails for protection

Amenities within

auto-rickshaw

Use of music system inside the vehicle Availability of first aid kit

Provision of GPS

Customer service

Ease to submit complaints/opinions/requests Follow up and coordination regarding complaints/requests Professionalism (driver’s coordination and behaviour, adherence to

traffic rules, etc.) Driver’s training to control driving style Driver’s help provided to customers (including elderly/handicapped)

in case of medical emergency and to move the luggage, if required Trip refusal

Auto fare Integration of para-transit and public transit fare structure Ease of payment (cash transaction or on-board ticketing by

driver/electronic payment system) Suitability of fare structure (flat fare/distance based fare)

Safety and security

Safety from road accidents while travelling in an auto rickshaw Safety from theft/robbery at the stop/inside the vehicle Safety from assault/harassment at the stop/inside the vehicle Availability of pink auto service Availability of driver’s complete information (contact number,

address, license information) Display of women and child helpline numbers/emergency numbers at

auto stop and within auto-rickshaw


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Qualitative

attributes Sub-attributes

Environmental

sustainability

Suffocation/health hazards/annoyance (inconvenience) caused while travelling in an auto-rickshaw

Intrusion or obstruction caused by parked auto-rickshaws in the middle and along the side of the road

4.5.3. Level of Service (LOS) scales for para-transit service attributes

based on users’ perception

The LOS scale values for quantitative attributes of para-transit system in Kolkata,

Visakhapatnam and Rajkot are listed below in Table 4-5. Results show that, LOS Scales of

all the three cities are different. This is because Kolkata has fixed route para-transit while other

two cities have flexible route para-transit services. In addition, size and other characteristics

of the cities also make an impact on the range of LOS scales. This makes the tolerance level

of users different for three different cities. Thus, it can be concluded that, there cannot be a

unified LOS Scale which is applicable for all three cities and LOS scales needs to be

constructed for each city following the methodology given here. However civic authorities

can adopt the LOS scale values given here as per their own judgement on how their city best

matches any of these three cities studied here.

Table 4-8 LOS Scale values for quantitative attributes of para-transit system

Attribute LOS Scale LOS Scale Range

Kolkata Visakhapatnam Rajkot

Auto-rickshaw stop

proximity

(in metres))

A ≤ 150 ≤ 50 ≤ 200 B 151 – 550 51 – 200 201 – 800 C 551 – 900 201 – 750 801 – 2000 D 901 – 1100 751 – 1200 2001 – 3000 E > 1100 > 1200 > 3000

Service hours

(in hours)

A ≥ 17.0 ≥ 20.0 ≥ 21.0 B 17.1 – 15.0 20.1 – 16.0 21.1 – 15.0 C 15.1 – 12.0 16.1 – 12.0 15.1 – 10.0 D 12.1 – 6.0 12.1 – 8.0 10.1 – 5.0 E < 6.0 < 8.0 < 5.0

Summary Report



Attribute LOS Scale LOS Scale Range

Kolkata Visakhapatnam Rajkot

Delay in total

journey time

(in minutes)

A ≤ 1.0 ≤ 4.0 ≤ 5.0 B 1.1 – 5.0 4.1 – 5.0 5.1 – 6.0 C 5.1 – 8.0 5.1 – 12.0 6.1 – 14.0 D 8.1 – 13.0 12.1 – 20.0 14.1 – 27.0 E > 13.0 > 20.0 > 27.0

Crowding level

inside auto-

rickshaw (in pax.)

A 3 3 ≤ 3 B 4 4 – 5 4 C 5 6 – 7 5 – 8

Cleanliness and

maintenance

frequency at auto-

rickshaw stop

(in days)

A ≤ 0.5 8 – 9 ≤ 3.0

B 0.6 – 2.0 > 9 3.1 – 4.0

C 2.1 – 4.0 ≤ 1.0 4.1 – 8.0

D 4.1 – 5.0 1.1 – 2.0 8.1 – 10.0

E > 5.0 2.1 – 4.0 > 10.0

Headway of service

at terminal stops

(in minutes)

A ≤ 3.0 ≤ 3.0 ≤ 5.0

B 3.1 – 7.0 3.1 – 8.0 5.1 – 7.0

C 7.1 – 13.0 8.1 – 18.0 7.1 – 15.0

D 13.1 – 16.0 18.1 – 20.0 15.1 – 24.0

E > 16.0 > 20.0 > 24.0

Headway of service

at intermediate

stops (in minutes)

A ≤ 3.0 - - B 3.1 – 4.0 - - C 4.1 – 8.0 - - D 8.1 – 18.0 - - E > 18.0 - -

Waiting time at

terminal stops

(in minutes)

A ≤ 3.1 ≤ 2.0 ≤ 2.0

B 3.1 – 5.0 2.1 – 6.0 2.1 – 6.0

C 5.1 – 11.0 6.1 – 10.0 6.1 – 12.0

D 11.1 – 15.0 10.1 – 13.0 12.1 – 18.0

E > 15.0 > 13.0 > 18.0

Waiting time at

intermediate stops

(in minutes)

A ≤ 4.0 - - B 4.1 – 5.0 - - C 5.1 – 11.0 - - D 11.1 – 18.0 - - E > 18.0 - -


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4.5.4. Zone of Tolerance based on user perception

Zone of Tolerance represents the range of service performance which a customer expects to

be provided and is bound by their desired service level and adequate/ minimum service level

(Das & Pandit, 2013). The results of the mean zones of tolerance for different socio-economic

user groups and the overall zone of tolerance for different para-transit service attributes for

Kolkata, Vishakhapatnam and Rajkot are summarized in Table 4-9, Table 4-10 and Table

4-11. ZOT ranges may be used by policy makers in a given city to provide services for specific

user groups as per expectations. Such services can always be provided when there are no

financial constraints for the policy makers or when there is enough demand for these services.

However, in most cases, it is not possible to provide specialized services for particular user

groups such as higher frequency of services at terminal stops for people having age group

greater than 61 years or for male riders. Thus, it is important to give equal weightage to the

expectations of all user groups while providing the services. In addition, since estimation of

Level of Service ranges is a tedious task, civic authorities can quickly determine acceptable

service level ranges for service attributes using the method of Zone of Tolerance.

Summary Report



Table 4-9 MZOT and OZOT for auto-rickshaw users for service attributes in Kolkata (Primary survey, 2017)

User groups Auto stop proximity (in

meters) Service hours (in hours) Delay in total journey time (in minutes)

Crowding level inside the auto-rickshaw (in

pax.)

Cleanliness and maintenance frequency at auto-rickshaw stops

(in days)

Headway of service at terminal stops (in

minutes)

Headway of service at intermediate stops (in

minutes)

Waiting time at terminal stops (in

minutes)

Waiting time at intermediate stops (in

minutes)

Sminm Sdesm Sminm Sdesm Sminm Sdesm Sminm Sdesm Sminm Sdesm Sminm Sdesm Sminm Sdesm Sminm Sdesm Sminm Sdesm Age (years) <30 722.50 360.00 15.17 16.63 8.40 3.42 4.23 3.86 3.05 0.94 5.95 2.81 7.67 3.41 8.35 4.65 7.93 3.98 31-45 636.19 332.95 14.57 15.89 9.10 4.00 4.19 3.83 2.70 0.87 7.14 3.59 8.29 4.36 8.26 4.30 8.64 4.24 46-60 688.33 316.67 15.24 16.58 9.00 4.17 4.33 3.81 3.80 1.21 5.92 2.90 6.77 3.65 9.02 5.35 8.10 4.15 >61 800.00 320.00 16.25 16.63 11.38 4.13 4.25 4.00 3.25 0.97 7.00 2.63 7.38 3.88 10.75 4.00 9.25 4.00 Gender Male 753.33 335.24 15.40 17.06 9.15 4.08 4.37 3.86 3.71 0.96 5.86 2.58 7.10 3.18 8.86 4.61 8.00 3.68 Female 649.25 341.73 14.76 15.96 8.76 3.69 4.17 3.84 2.74 0.96 6.76 3.41 8.06 4.18 8.35 4.62 8.43 4.33 Monthly income (in INR) <6,000 697.39 300.87 16.05 17.48 7.63 3.72 4.24 3.76 2.90 0.86 5.15 2.17 7.11 3.74 8.43 4.67 7.93 3.76 6,000- 10,000 675.74 272.34 15.11 16.49 9.47 3.70 4.40 3.85 4.56 1.30 6.40 2.36 6.94 2.83 9.43 4.28 8.17 3.36 10,000-20,000 708.42 357.89 14.61 15.82 8.82 3.70 4.26 3.87 2.47 0.84 6.68 3.34 8.05 3.78 8.53 4.86 8.43 4.29 20,000-50,000 661.11 365.56 14.61 16.07 9.19 3.94 4.13 3.88 2.47 0.94 6.76 3.89 8.26 4.72 8.04 4.53 8.28 4.42 >50,000 717.33 610.67 13.50 14.10 9.90 4.70 4.03 3.90 16.38 0.98 6.60 3.00 6.67 2.43 7.60 4.40 10.43 6.03 Vehicle ownership Owner 684.39 329.25 15.05 16.47 8.77 3.68 4.29 3.85 3.37 1.01 6.21 3.12 7.84 3.82 8.77 4.70 8.55 4.10 Non-owner 680.95 360.95 14.80 16.01 9.14 4.10 4.12 3.83 2.40 0.86 6.99 3.19 7.54 3.94 7.98 4.45 7.76 4.15 Regularity of usage Regular users 789.79 394.89 15.49 16.87 11.38 4.74 4.11 3.83 3.95 1.08 7.45 3.45 7.87 3.79 9.47 5.06 8.13 3.89 Non-regular users 659.43 327.24 14.85 16.19 8.33 3.61 4.26 3.85 2.85 0.94 6.24 3.07 7.71 3.87 8.30 4.52 8.33 4.17 Trip purpose Compulsory trips 688.99 351.65 15.00 16.39 8.56 3.78 4.30 3.86 2.17 0.76 6.53 3.32 7.51 3.71 8.55 4.68 7.82 3.85 Non-compulsory trips 708.57 381.59 15.47 15.83 10.45 4.59 4.20 3.91 3.55 1.29 5.77 3.39 8.02 3.36 8.75 5.14 9.59 4.13 Time of the day Evening peak hour 523.87 268.39 14.77 16.55 6.90 3.55 4.19 3.81 2.29 0.99 6.77 4.00 9.35 5.10 6.52 3.68 9.23 4.68 Morning peak hour 1002.67 525.33 15.53 16.87 12.07 6.43 4.00 3.77 5.58 1.04 8.73 4.63 7.53 3.87 10.90 5.03 8.23 3.83 Non-peak hour 659.59 322.45 14.92 16.20 8.72 3.46 4.28 3.86 2.79 0.95 6.07 2.78 7.52 3.66 8.46 4.70 8.15 4.07 OZOT 705.39 358.78 15.06 16.30 9.26 4.06 4.22 3.85 3.85 0.99 6.55 3.18 7.66 3.76 8.67 4.61 8.47 4.16

Table 4-10 MZOT and OZOT for auto-rickshaw users for service attributes in Vishakhapatnam (Primary survey, 2017)



Crowding level inside the auto-rickshaw (in pax.)

Cleanliness and maintenance frequency at auto-rickshaw

stops (in days)

Headway of service at auto stops (in minutes)

Waiting time at auto stops (in minutes)

Sminm Sdesm Sminm Sdesm Sminm Sdesm Sminm Sdesm Sminm Sdesm Sminm Sdesm Sminm Sdesm Age (years) <30 474.09 196.21 15.45 20.98 9.36 5.66 4.18 3.79 2.35 1.17 11.53 4.95 10.13 3.76 31-45 543.13 277.01 15.61 18.01 9.81 4.56 7.59 5.55 2.46 1.22 7.10 3.81 10.64 5.98 46-60 600.00 288.89 13.67 16.89 8.33 3.22 6.17 4.44 3.50 1.28 7.83 4.11 11.83 5.33 >61 496.00 176.00 9.80 11.60 10.20 2.60 6.20 5.20 3.00 1.60 9.60 3.80 9.40 3.00 Gender Male 589.60 290.40 15.33 19.92 9.76 4.46 6.96 5.04 2.54 1.22 7.75 4.42 10.55 5.66 Female 615.56 318.52 14.17 16.54 9.51 4.01 6.12 4.50 3.02 1.55 7.81 4.69 10.11 5.56 Monthly income (in INR) <6,000 771.15 343.61 14.07 16.59 9.48 3.79 6.54 4.69 3.00 1.36 8.97 4.23 9.97 4.39 6,000- 10,000 362.62 157.38 16.02 18.39 9.56 4.61 5.77 4.19 2.89 1.19 6.84 3.82 10.54 7.09 10,000- 20,000 669.73 365.90 15.02 21.23 9.89 4.32 7.45 5.43 2.45 1.32 7.95 4.97 10.62 5.34 20,000-50,000 663.23 327.74 14.42 17.16 9.61 4.56 7.05 5.15 2.40 1.40 7.52 4.65 10.10 5.02 >50,000 617.14 274.29 12.43 13.43 9.71 3.29 4.86 3.43 3.00 1.29 10.71 4.14 11.00 4.14


Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs Government of India

122



Crowding level inside the auto-rickshaw (in pax.)


stops (in days)



Sminm Sdesm Sminm Sdesm Sminm Sdesm Sminm Sdesm Sminm Sdesm Sminm Sdesm Sminm Sdesm Vehicle ownership Owner 575.08 293.19 15.49 21.56 9.42 4.38 6.95 5.09 2.45 1.21 7.54 4.33 10.48 5.47 Non-owner 612.46 300.66 14.68 17.14 9.91 4.32 6.60 4.76 2.82 1.37 7.94 4.61 10.41 5.77 Regularity of usage Regular users 593.02 294.29 15.36 19.67 9.77 4.46 6.92 5.00 2.63 1.27 7.71 4.40 10.56 5.78 Non-regular users 610.81 312.43 13.46 16.19 9.32 3.78 5.96 4.42 2.76 1.47 8.00 4.88 9.86 4.93 Trip purpose Compulsory trips 560.43 282.19 15.00 18.00 9.66 4.22 6.66 4.66 2.89 1.35 7.73 4.31 10.25 5.72 Non-compulsory trips 578.62 255.17 13.01 16.28 9.33 3.78 5.96 4.31 2.93 1.42 7.79 3.81 9.78 4.95 Time of the day Morning peak hour 710.34 318.62 15.40 23.78 10.66 4.53 8.24 5.93 2.37 1.28 7.61 3.89 11.64 5.59 Off peak hour 556.86 286.43 14.95 17.51 9.05 4.17 6.29 4.61 2.84 1.31 7.81 4.66 9.85 5.31 Evening peak hour 545.00 302.50 14.73 16.78 10.52 4.70 5.92 4.20 2.45 1.28 7.86 4.86 10.63 7.02 OZOT 587.24 283.07 14.40 17.88 9.64 4.17 6.42 4.72 2.74 1.33 8.18 4.37 10.42 5.29

Table 4-11 MZOT and OZOT for auto-rickshaw users for para-transit service attributes in Rajkot (Primary survey, 2017)

User groups Auto stop proximity (in meters) Service hours (in hours) Delay in total journey time (in

minutes) Crowding level inside the auto-rickshaw (in pax.)


stops (in days)



Sminm Sdesm Sminm Sdesm Sminm Sdesm Sminm Sdesm Sminm Sdesm Sminm Sdesm Sminm Sdesm

Age (years) <30 695.54 373.17 15.51 18.65 7.23 3.48 4.99 3.30 1.77 1.14 6.66 3.81 8.93 4.52 31-45 629.23 391.54 16.77 21.14 7.28 4.36 5.09 3.73 2.09 1.19 7.04 5.02 7.40 5.01 46-60 560.00 360.00 16.27 20.73 7.32 4.64 4.55 3.68 1.91 1.09 7.14 4.91 7.68 4.86 >61 833.33 446.67 18.17 21.75 6.83 4.92 4.17 3.33 1.42 1.25 8.50 7.58 7.92 6.25 Gender Male 641.68 366.04 16.60 20.34 7.70 4.14 5.05 3.60 1.87 1.16 7.00 4.46 8.39 4.68 Female 656.31 355.73 16.05 19.76 7.78 4.39 5.04 3.66 1.95 1.15 6.93 4.47 7.67 4.74 Monthly income (in INR) <6,000 656.80 371.71 16.14 19.70 7.38 4.11 5.13 3.63 2.02 1.18 7.06 4.45 8.13 4.60 6,000- 10,000 564.21 350.88 16.28 19.93 7.61 4.42 5.16 3.40 2.05 1.18 6.35 4.11 7.68 4.60 10,000- 20,000 703.59 388.72 16.91 20.54 8.37 4.08 5.14 3.78 1.77 1.15 7.06 4.68 8.12 4.85 20,000-50,000 618.89 324.44 16.86 21.25 7.97 4.43 4.65 3.57 1.57 1.10 7.21 4.54 8.89 4.85 Vehicle ownership Owner 625.31 355.94 16.57 20.53 7.77 4.30 5.14 3.64 1.93 1.13 6.87 4.31 8.19 4.68 Non-owner 668.73 371.71 16.31 19.80 7.66 4.10 4.94 3.59 1.85 1.18 7.10 4.64 8.22 4.71 Regularity of usage Regular users 648.42 383.16 16.81 19.65 6.99 4.24 4.57 3.52 1.77 1.13 7.00 4.73 8.08 4.82 Non-regular users 644.64 356.86 16.33 20.36 7.96 4.20 5.20 3.65 1.93 1.16 6.98 4.38 8.24 4.65

Trip purpose Compulsory trips 639.75 372.97 16.52 20.37 7.75 4.26 4.96 3.59 1.83 1.17 7.15 4.79 8.04 4.72 Non-compulsory trips 634.67 385.70 16.31 19.31 6.96 4.32 4.75 3.50 1.84 1.10 6.49 4.48 7.61 4.69 Time of the day Morning peak hour 627.65 356.51 16.87 20.44 8.11 4.38 5.04 3.65 1.79 1.17 6.92 4.42 7.97 4.58 Off peak hour 663.95 357.97 16.14 19.71 7.76 4.12 4.94 3.55 1.84 1.12 6.96 4.32 8.70 4.65 Evening peak hour 636.13 394.84 16.32 20.97 6.66 4.03 5.37 3.71 2.29 1.22 7.19 5.00 7.32 5.08

OZOT 649.94 371.82 16.51 20.26 7.53 4.26 4.94 3.58 1.87 1.16 7.03 4.69 8.06 4.82

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4.6. Service delivery levels

This section suggests a methodology as shown in Figure 4-6 to arrive at a feasible range of

service delivery level for para-transit services based on user perception.

The lower limit of the range of para-transit service delivery level is defined by the minimum

acceptable service of the users, or the lower threshold of LOS C obtained from the LOS scale

developed for the given service attribute, whichever is higher.

The upper limit of the range of service delivery level is then determined by estimating the

service level at which the marginal utility is maximum for the service providers. However, in

case it is lower than the minimum acceptable service, operators may take a call for setting the

upper range of service delivery levels using the USL curves or the upper range value of the

ZOT. However, this methodology is only appropriate for quantitative service attributes.

Users’ desired service level for each attribute

Mean ZOT for each user group and attribute

Users’ acceptable service level for each attribute

Overall ZOT for attributes

Cumulative %age of users very satisfied and

satisfied at different service level

Users’ perceived service level on an existing

transit service attributes

Users’ level of satisfaction on perceived

service levels

Successive Interval Scaling technique LOS Scale determination

Determination of USL

Determination of range of service delivery levels

Figure 4-6 Methodology for determination of range of service delivery levels for quantitative service quality attributes (Das, 2013)


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4.6.1. Service delivery levels for quantitative attributes

The appropriate service delivery ranges for para-transit attributes for Kolkata, Visakhapatnam

and Rajkot are listed in the Table 4-12, Table 4-13 and Table 4-14.

Table 4-12 Range of service delivery levels of quantitative service attributes of para-transit system in Kolkata (rounded-off)

Service attribute Feasible range of

service delivery levels

Upper

limit

Lower

limit

Auto-rickshaw stop proximity (in metres) 80 700

Service hours (in hours) 16 15

Delay in total journey time (in minutes) 4 8

Crowding level inside the auto-rickshaw (in pax.) 4 4

Cleanliness and maintenance frequency at auto-rickshaw stop (in days) 1 4

Headway of service at terminal stops (in minutes) 2 6

Headway of service at Intermediate stops (in minutes) 3 7

Waiting time at terminal stops (in minutes) 3 8

Waiting time at intermediate stops (in minutes) 3 8

Table 4-13 Range of service delivery levels for quantitative service attributes para-transit system in Vishakhapatnam (rounded-off)

Service attribute

Feasible range of service delivery levels

Upper limit

Lower limit

Auto-rickshaw stop proximity (in metres) 30 600 Service hours (in hours) 16 14 Delay in total journey time (in minutes) 3 10 Crowding level inside the auto-rickshaw (in pax.) 5 6 Cleanliness and maintenance frequency at auto-rickshaw stop (in days) 2 3 Headway of service at auto stops (in minutes) 4 8 Waiting time at auto stops (in minutes) 5 10

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Table 4-14 Range of service delivery levels of quantitative service attributes of para-transit system in Rajkot (rounded-off)

Service attribute

Feasible range of service delivery levels

Upper limit

Lower limit

Auto-rickshaw stop proximity (in metres) 300 650 Service hours (in hours) 20 16 Delay in total journey time (in minutes) 4 7 Crowding level inside the auto-rickshaw (in pax.) 4 5 Cleanliness and maintenance frequency at auto-rickshaw stop (in days) 2 2 Headway of service at auto stops (in minutes) 2 7 Waiting time at auto stops (in minutes) 2 8

4.6.2. Service delivery levels for qualitative attributes

This section suggests various measures towards improving qualitative service quality

attributes for para-transit services.

Safety and security regulations

The following are the suggestions for the policy makers to address the safety and security

issues related with para-transit services.

i. Proper education and training programs should be undertaken for the auto-

drivers particularly the youth towards creating awareness regarding safe

driving practises, traffic rules etc.

ii. Proper enforcement of the rules and regulations should be undertaken

regarding issue of licenses only to auto-rickshaw drivers with minimum

educational qualifications. Additionally, traffic police should be strict in

enforcing traffic rules to curb unsafe driving practises.

iii. Vehicle design improvements suggested by Indian Government such as

mandatory use of two-point retractable seatbelt for drivers, specified

dimensions of passenger and driver's seats, adequate leg space for passengers,

modified headlamps with two headlights instead of present practice of one

should be enforced without any additional delay.

iv. Regulations should be introduced towards mandatory check on the health

status of the drivers over 65 years of age (Cioca & Ivascu, 2016).

v. Proper maintenance of roads be undertaken.


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vi. Improvement of road infrastructure such as the provision of dedicated lanes

to separate auto-rickshaws (particularly e-rickshaws along with cyclists and

pedestrians) from heavier and faster moving traffic, provision of street lights

wherever required would improve safety to a large extent. However, despite

the potential benefits, the issue of road space constraints might render this

policy ineffective except for few locations.

vii. Strengthening of the mechanism to ensure security such as display of women

and child helpline/ emergency contact numbers at auto stops/ inside auto-

rickshaws, availability of complete information about the auto-rickshaw

driver, provision of CCTV cameras and pink auto-rickshaw service

viii. Provision of proper emergency medical treatment facilities in case of

fatalities.

Fare regulations

In case of fare revision, the policy makers need to conduct sufficient research and involve all

stakeholders (government, commuters, drivers, transport planners etc.) in a formal process as

discussed earlier. Policies must be designed taking into consideration the financial stability of

the drivers. Additionally, periodic fare revision must be ensured on scientific basis to create

sustainable livelihoods, as suggested by the Hakim Committee 2012 report. In order to address

the overcharging issues, stringent enforcement of rules and regulations, mandatory use of

electronic meters and digitisation of meter testing certificates as suggested by Centre for

Infrastructure, Sustainable Transport and Urban Planning (CISTUP) in 2012 must be properly

enforced in case of flexible service whereas, in case of fixed route service, a passenger

grievance record and redressal system should be set up at route level.

Air pollution regulations

Following are the suggestions for the policy makers to address the problems related to air

pollution from para-transit services:

i. Effective maintenance and inspection of auto-rickshaws should be undertaken in order

to keep emissions below the permissible limits

ii. Financial incentives to drivers such as sales tax exemption, interest subsidy on loans

etc. should be provided for retrofitting existing vehicles with latest technologies

iii. Usage of clean fuel such as LPG or CNG instead of petrol and diesel and setting up

of required number of LPG/ CNG stations should be undertaken wherever such supply

is possible

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iv. Regular check on emission and adulteration of fuel particularly in small cities along

with provision of adequate number of vehicle testing centres will result in lowering

of emission.

v. Restriction of usage of the auto-rickshaws to a maximum limit which may be set at

each city.

Infrastructure regulations

i. The provision of adequate number of auto-stops with adequate capacity and

infrastructural facilities such as shade from rain and sun, seating infrastructure,

adequate lighting, dust bins, signage (directional, regulatory and prohibitory) and fire

extinguishers must be ensured. In addition, provision of information regarding route

and stop location, schedule of other integrated transit modes (bus), time and fare

information for various routes, frequency of auto-rickshaws at stop and other

information improves the journey experience of para-transit users. Provision of

adequate number of auto repairing centres at designed locations must be also ensured.

The tentative proposed design of auto stops is given in Error! Reference source not f

ound. to Error! Reference source not found.. However, the design proposals may

vary based on the available resources and finance.

ii. A Traffic Management Centre should be set up to monitor the movement, dispatch of

vehicles and management of fleet operation for para-transit services. This requires a

GPS system to be fitted to auto-rickshaws. Subsidy should also be provided by

government to vehicle owners to partially meet the cost of GPS. Apart from this,

provision of first-aid kit must be made mandatory in each vehicle.

Figure 4-7 Front view of proposed terminal auto stop (LOS-A)


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Figure 4-8 Side view of proposed terminal auto stop (LOS-A)

Figure 4-9 Amenities at proposed terminal auto-rickshaw stop (LOS-A)

Figure 4-10 Amenities at proposed terminal auto-rickshaw stop (LOS-A)

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Figure 4-11 Details of information pylon at proposed terminal auto-rickshaw stop (LOS-A)

Figure 4-12 Front view of proposed intermediate auto-rickshaw stop (LOS-A)


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Figure 4-13 Side view of proposed intermediate auto-rickshaw stop (LOS-A); Amenities at proposed intermediate auto-rickshaw stop (LOS-A) where details of information pylon is similar to that of terminal auto-rickshaw stop

4.7. Prioritisation of para-transit service quality attributes

Determining priority for various service quality attributes is proposed using the results

obtained from RIDIT and Ordinal Regression Analysis to develop a new importance-

satisfaction scale that categorises attributes based on their high and low RIDIT score and being

significant and insignificant based on their relation to the overall level of satisfaction of users

(refer to Table 4-15). Using this new importance-satisfaction scale, attributes can be

prioritised into four categories namely:

i. Critical- attributes that have RIDIT score of more than or equal to 0.5 and have a

significant relation to the overall satisfaction are categorized as critical attributes and

must be addressed first. Further, prioritization is possible using the ranks derived from

partial log likelihood values in the OLR model.

ii. High- Attributes with significant influence on the overall satisfaction of bus

transportation service yet are perceived to be of low importance to the users are

grouped under this category. Attributes in this category have RIDIT score of less than

0.5. These attributes must be focused upon because of their significant relation with

the overall satisfaction. These attributes though considered as unimportant, if not

provided by the operators, will have a strong impact on the users’ overall level of

satisfaction.

iii. Moderate- These attributes have RIDIT score of more than or equal to 0.5 and are

perceived as important by the users but have insignificant effect on the users’ overall

Summary Report



level of satisfaction. Attributes under this category must be conserved and minimum

level of services must be provided.

iv. Low- Attributes categorized under this category have RIDIT score of less than 0.5

and have insignificant relation to the overall satisfaction. Improvement in these

attributes will have no influence on the people’s current overall level of satisfaction.

Table 4-15 Priority scale developed for importance- satisfaction analysis using of RIDIT analysis and ordinal logistic regression

Scales Importance

< 0.5 >= 0.5

Satisfaction Insignificant Low priority Moderate priority

Significant High priority Critical

4.7.1. Results

The prioritisation results using Importance- satisfaction analysis based on RIDIT score and

ordinal logistic regression for Kolkata are listed from Table 4-16 to Table 4-18. Almost all

attributes are of critical to high priority in all the three cities except amenities within auto-

rickshaw in Kolkata and terminal auto stop design and environmental sustainability in

Vishakhapatnam.

The results of prioritisation of attributes and sub-attributes will help the governments, policy

makers and service providers to prioritize attributes and sub-attributes to identify the critical

service areas from the users’ perspective. This will further help to take a decision to improve

those services immediately or later based on the resource availability.

Table 4-16 Importance- satisfaction analysis of para-transit service quality attributes based on RIDIT score and ordinal logistic regression for Kolkata

Attribute RIDIT score OLR significance Priority

Auto-rickshaw stop proximity 0.397 Significant High Service hours 0.569 Significant Critical Delay in total journey time 0.207 Significant High Crowding level inside the auto-rickshaw 0.086 Significant Critical Cleanliness and maintenance frequency at auto-rickshaw stop

0.121 Significant High

Headway of service at terminal stops 0.414 Significant High Headway of service at intermediate stops 0.052 Significant High Waiting time at terminal stops 0.241 Significant High Waiting time at intermediate stops 0.000 Significant High


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Attribute RIDIT score OLR

significance Priority

Terminal auto stop design 0.362 Significant High Intermediate auto stop design 0.052 Significant High Auto-rickshaw design 0.466 Significant High Amenities within auto-rickshaw 0.121 Insignificant Low Customer service 1.000 Significant Critical Auto fare 0.121 Significant High Safety and security 0.690 Significant Critical Environmental sustainability 0.552 Significant Critical

Table 4-17 Importance- satisfaction analysis of para-transit service quality attributes based on RIDIT score and ordinal logistic regression for Vishakhapatnam


Auto-rickshaw stop proximity 0.330 Significant High Service hours 0.378 Significant High Delay in total journey time 0.492 Significant High Crowding level inside the auto-rickshaw 0.500 Significant Critical Cleanliness and maintenance frequency at auto-rickshaw stop

0.427 Significant High

Headway of service at terminal stops 0.333 Significant High Waiting time at terminal stops 0.330 Significant High Terminal auto stop design 1.000 Insignificant Moderate Auto-rickshaw design 0.000 Significant High Amenities within auto-rickshaw 0.878 Significant Critical Customer service 0.383 Significant High Auto fare 0.290 Significant High Safety and security 0.329 Significant High Environmental sustainability 0.204 Insignificant Low

Table 4-18 Importance- satisfaction analysis of para-transit service quality attributes based on RIDIT score and ordinal logistic regression for Rajkot


Auto-rickshaw stop proximity 0.572 Significant Critical Service hours 0.593 Significant Critical Delay in total journey time 0.558 Significant Critical Crowding level inside the auto-rickshaw 0.529 Significant Critical Cleanliness and maintenance frequency at auto-rickshaw stop

0.506 Significant Critical

Headway of service at terminal stops 0.471 Significant High Waiting time at terminal stops 0.546 Significant Critical Terminal auto stop design 0.823 Significant Critical Auto-rickshaw design 0.117 Significant High Amenities within auto-rickshaw 0.522 Significant Critical

Summary Report




Customer service 0.500 Insignificant High Auto fare 0.593 Significant Critical Safety and security 0.647 Significant Critical Environmental sustainability 0.218 Significant High

Further prioritization among critical and high priority parameters can be taken up

using the partial log likelihood method and is shown in Table 4-19.

Table 4-19 Prioritisation of overall service quality attributes using partial log likelihood method for Kolkata, Vishakhapatnam and Rajkot

Para-transit service quality attributes Kolkata Vishakhapatnam Rajkot

Auto fare 1 5 10 Delay in total journey time 2 2 8 Auto rickshaw stop proximity 3 7 6 Cleanliness and maintenance frequency at auto rickshaw stops 4 1 1

Waiting time at intermediate stops 5 - - Safety and security 6 6 7 Headway of service for terminal stops 7 11 3 Intermediate auto stop design 8 - - Service hours 9 3 11 Headway of service for intermediate stops 10 - - Crowding level inside the auto rickshaw 11 9 9 Auto rickshaw design 12 8 12 Customer service 13 10 - Environmental sustainability 14 - 4 Terminal auto stop design 15 - 5 Amenities within auto rickshaw - 4 2

4.8. Fleet size regulation

Para-transit fleet size regulation is associated with determination of fleet size and fleet

schedule for a particular route as explained earlier. It is preceded by frequency setting which

varies during different times of the day as per the passenger travel demand and traffic

conditions and as per the expected service quality of the passengers. In case of para-transit

route network design, appropriateness of para-transit routes could be tested along with transit

routes as a joint network design problem using peak hour demand data to ensure that, the

network can take care of the maximum passenger load most efficiently by reducing total travel

time and number of transfers whereas, service frequency design along a para-transit route

needs to be dynamic based on real time demand data along the route. Additionally, fleet size


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and schedule also depends on the simultaneous passenger travel demand in both directions

which usually varies significantly particularly in case of feeder routes. Optimum fleet size

minimizes the number of vehicles required to serve the para-transit route for the entire day

considering feasible service level ranges based on user and operator perspectives. This

prevents oversupply of vehicles in a route leading to safe and efficient operation. Finally, para-

transit services are provided by individual operators and there is a need to ensure that each

driver/operator makes adequate profit to ensure service continuity all throughout the day.

Thus, a model for para-transit fleet size and schedule determination should have the ability to

determine the daily profit for each vehicle at a given fare and service level to arrive at the final

solution which ensures adequate profit for each vehicle and adequate fleet utilization to satisfy

both driver and societal goals. This model will help in developing regulations regarding both

the number of permits to be issued for each route and route level operation of para-transit

services.

4.8.1. Aim and objectives

This study aims to develop an optimization model to determine optimum para-transit fleet size

and schedule for a particular route taking into account the variation in passenger travel demand

during different time periods and the feasible service level ranges based on user and operator

perspectives.

The objectives of the study are to:

i. Develop a generic model for para-transit fleet size and schedule determination for a

fixed route considering both driver and societal goals

ii. Develop a software based on the model developed with options to calibrate the same

for different cities and routes

iii. Application of the model on a few fixed route para-transit routes in Kolkata to

determine optimum fleet size and schedules and compare the results with baseline

values for different variations of fare and service levels.

4.8.2. Model formulation

The para-transit fleet size and schedule determination model for a fixed route is solved using

a simulation based approach where the dispatch system is simulated for the entire day with

pre-set headway for different time periods considering different passenger demand, traffic

conditions and passenger origin (O)-destination (D) for each time period subject to constraints

such as vehicle capacity and occupancy and maximum waiting time for passengers. The

Summary Report



resulting total passenger waiting time, in-vehicle travel time, vehicle operating cost, fare,

passenger-kilometre etc. are recorded to determine the overall cost of the designed service. In

addition to the dispatch system, for every headway combination (for different time periods) a

fleet schedule is developed where each vehicle’s movement in both the directions is tracked

in terms of their starting time, trip ending time, trip operation cost, trip fare collection and

number of trips made throughout the day. This also helps us to determine the fleet size required

to serve the headway combination. Finally, using mathematical programming approach we

determine the headway combination and fleet schedule when net social benefit is maximised

or fleet size is minimized subject to operation constraints and profit constraints for every

driver/vehicle. Profit constraint ensures minimum earning for each auto-rickshaw.

Model overview

The simulation model executes three major steps to estimate the user and operator cost of the

emulated bus service.

i. Dispatching para-transit vehicles at given headway. ii. Passenger assignment procedure that assigns passenger at stops according to the

passenger demand and assigns passengers to the vehicles following the user and

operator level constraints. iii. Estimates user and operator cost for the entire service period with given cost values. iv. Estimate earnings, profit, number of trip and schedule for each para-transit vehicle.

The para-transit dispatching mechanism follows the hourly travel time dataset and other route

level characteristics (number of stops, stop to stop distance, service hours etc.). Passenger

assignment procedure uses the historical passenger demand dataset (average passenger arrival

rate and passenger origin-destination) to estimate the number of boarding and alighting

passengers followed by the passenger load. The overall cost of simulated para-transit service

is estimated from the para-transit operation parameters and the cumulative cost of passenger

time impedance factors. Next, vehicle schedules are generated for frequency combinations

(for entire service period) considering least operator cost, least overall cost and least fleet size.

Finally, vehicle wise time schedules, trips, earnings and profits are generated ensuring

minimum profit and/or minimum number of trips for drivers and operators.

The simulation results show that, while a minimum amount of profit is ensured by setting it

as a constraint, there is a significant difference between the amounts of profit made by the

different vehicles. This difference is due to the sequence in which vehicles have joined the

service and partly due to the simulation rule where we have added vehicles when there is a


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requirement at each terminal. This difference in profit in reality is made up through either

short turns or deadheading thus resulting in queue jumps and altered vehicle sequence at

terminals. While the current software can allow deadheading partially by relaxing the

minimum load factor criteria and setting the minimum frequency to half a minute or less, it

cannot incorporate short turns. However, this is not necessarily a shortcoming since the target

of this software is to determine minimum fleet size and the software gives a range which shows

the absolute minimum fleet size and the actual flee size required.

The model mathematical formulation and simulation procedure is similar to the bus scheduling

software as discussed in Handbook on Feasible Service Delivery Level Ranges for Bus Transit

in Indian Context Part 2: Operator Perspective with minor changes which are already

discussed above. The changes are also incorporated in the software interface and is shown

below.

Software

This stand-alone software is titled “PUBBS Para-transit”, which is developed in a Visual Basic

(VB6) environment. Microsoft Excel is used as the database for the static dataset. This

software is a variant of the “PUBBS Transit” software and has the same three modules i.e.,

input and data validation module, passenger demand generation and service combination

module and finally the service cost module. While, the first module is self-explanatory, the

second module generates and stores the demand matrices and creates the different possible

combinations of headway and loading during the entire service period. The final module

produces the overall social cost of para-transit service, fleet size requirements and also creates

the schedule, the total number of trips, profit per trip, cost per trip etc. for each vehicle for

each combinations of headway and loading in each service period. The minimum cost and

minimum crew size schedules are generated as output files which could be used at the route

level to plan para-transit fixed route operation.

Summary Report



Figure 4-14 Initial screen of the software

Table 4-14 shows the initialization screen of the software. Figure 4-15 shows the screen

where the route details and service period details are entered. These include stop to stop

distance and the start and end time for each time period. Figure 4-16 shows the different data

input screens which include stop to stop travel times, passenger arrival rate and observed

boarding alighting count at each stop for each hour during the service period in both up and

down direction. Figure 4-17 shows the data input screen for the different user level and

operator level constraints and parameters which needs to be provided to the software to

generate results and finally Figure 4-18 shows the control page through which the user can

set criteria for determining the final set of results which include operator level efficiency

factors and individual vehicle level efficiency parameters.


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Figure 4-15 Data entry screen for route and service hour details

Figure 4-16 Data entry screen for stop to stop travel times, passenger arrival rate and observed boarding alighting counts at each stop

Summary Report



Figure 4-17 Data entry screen for constraints and parameters

Figure 4-18 Screen for service efficiency constraints

The output from the software is stored in four data files. The file named All_result.txt contains

the results for all runs i.e. for all headway combinations for each time period for both up and


140


down direction and includes information on the simulation id, overall cost, total user cost, total

operator cost, number of passengers served and lost, waiting time cost, travel time cost etc.

The second, third and fourth files provide the schedule for each vehicle for the headway

combination which is either resulting in the least overall cost, least operator cost and the least

fleet size without deadheading respectively. In case deadheading is considered further

reduction in fleet size is possible. However, this may result in increased cost of operation.

Each of these files shows the standard information for the least cost or lowest fleet size run as

provided in the All_result.txt. The lowest fleet size may be a result of multiple headway

combinations and all the results are listed. However, it is prudent to choose the least cost one

out of them. In addition to the standard information, all the three files include the dispatch

sequence for each vehicle from each terminal as per the headway combination and also

includes the schedule for each vehicle along with details like total vehicle kilometres travelled,

operation cost, earnings and profit. Figure 4-19 and Figure 4-20 shows the format of the

output files.

Figure 4-19 Dispatch sequence at each terminal

Summary Report



Figure 4-20 Individual vehicle schedule and earning details

4.8.3. Model application and results

Different feeder routes are selected in Kolkata, for determining the fleet size of fixed route

para-transit services. One of the routes selected is the “Ruby General Hospital- Jadavpur

Police Station (via Kalikapur)” route. This route is 5.4 km in length having Kalikapur as the

main intermediate stop. A section of this route from Ruby General Hospital to Kalikapur runs

parallel to the EM Bypass corridor and the remaining section from Kalikapur to Jadavpur

Police Station serves as a feeder to the EM Bypass corridor. Average travel time between

terminal stops is approximately 15 min and fare is INR 11. Figure 4-20 shows some of the

data required for running the model.

Table 4-20 Values for para-transit operation variables for fleet size estimation in Kolkata

Variable Definition Annotation Category Values/ Ranges Unit

Service time period

The time span of the bus service.

h = 1,2, 𝐻 Variable 19 in hours

Service headway

Service headway is set as the decision variable.

𝜇𝑘 Decision Variable

0.34-7 in minutes


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Vehicle capacity

Total number of seats inside the bus.

𝑄𝑖 Variable 4 -

Maximum waiting time

Maximum waiting time for passengers is estimated as the time interval between two consecutive buses at any given stop.

𝑡𝑗W Constraint 15 in

minutes

Minimum load factor

Least number of passengers desired for each vehicle trip in ratio to the vehicle seat capacity.

�̅�𝑖 Constraint 0.5

-

Maximum load factor

Maximum number of passengers allowed to travel inside the bus in ratio to the vehicle seat capacity.

𝛼𝑖 Constraint 1

-

Fuel cost Unit cost of fuel. 𝐶𝑜𝑓 Variable 40 in INR

per Litre Fuel consumption (running)

Average fuel consumption rate of running vehicle.

𝑚𝑧 Variable 25 in km. per litre

Fuel consumption (idle)

Average fuel consumption rate of idle engine running vehicle.

�̂�𝑧 Variable 0.2 in litre per hour

Vehicle cost On-road cost of vehicle unit.

𝐶𝑜𝑣 Variable 2,00,000 in INR

Vehicle life Maximum vehicle-km run allowed before discarded.

𝜗𝑑𝑧 Variable 3,00,000 in

kilometre Average crew wage

Average salary per crew member.

𝐶𝑜𝑐𝑤 Variable 6,500 in INR

per month Maintenance cost

Periodic maintenance cost per unit vehicle.

𝐶𝑜𝑚 Variable 3,000 in INR

per month

Waiting time cost

Unit cost of passenger waiting time.

𝐶𝑤 Variable 0.80 in INR per minute

Travel time cost (seated)

Unit cost of passenger travel time while seated.

𝐶𝑡, 𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑡 Variable 0 in INR per minute

Travel time cost (standing)

Unit cost of passenger travel time standing.

𝐶𝑡, 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑 Variable 0 in INR/Min

Seat availability factor

percentage of passengers getting a seat during the journey.

𝜑𝑖𝑧 Constraint 100 in

percentage (%)

Operator penalty

Penalty cost of failing to serve any passenger due to overcrowding.

𝐶𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑛 Variable 0 in INR

per passenger

User penalty User level inconvenience charges in travelling by other modes.

𝐶𝑖𝑛𝑐 Variable 0 In INR per passenger

Operator cost Total cost of operation incurred for the service time period.

𝑪𝑶 Indicators in thousand - INR

Summary Report




User cost Total user cost of incurred for the service time period.

𝑪𝑼 Indicators in thousand - INR

Total overall cost

Total social cost of bus service incurred for the service time period.

𝑪𝑺 Indicators in thousand - INR

Error! Reference source not found. shows the results of the simulation for the para-transit f

eeder route. The headway combinations for all the three instances i.e., minimum fleet size,

minimum operator cost and minimum overall cost show the same result as per the para-transit

operational attributes and passenger travel demand along this route. The headway in both up

and down direction is found to be same which is justified since there is not much demand

variation in between the up and down direction for these routes and uniform headway in both

directions results in lesser fleet size. All passengers are served. However, one limitation of

this study is that, we did not consider the passengers boarding and alighting at intermediate

stops which though insignificant would have increased the fleet strength by a certain extent.

It is also found that the ratio between earning and cost is approximately 3.45 for the Ruby

General Hospital - Jadavpur Police Station route. The Ruby General Hospital - Jadavpur

Police Station route shows the fleet size requirement to be 75. Waiting time cost for passengers

are also found to be very less since headways are significantly less compared to bus. Similarly,

dispatch sequence at each terminal for minimum fleet size, individual vehicle schedule and

earning details are also generated. While all vehicles do not show same utilization and profit,

in real life operation, this difference in profit will be minimised through short turn strategies

and overtaking. However, we can say that the average profit per vehicle in this route is INR

850.

Table 4-21 Results of fleet size estimation

Route Ruby General Hospital - Jadavpur Police Station

Minimum cost Minimum fleet size

Minimum operator cost

Minimum overall cost

Schedule

Period 1 UP DN UP DN UP DN 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9






144


Route Ruby General Hospital - Jadavpur Police Station

Minimum cost Minimum fleet size

Minimum operator cost

Minimum overall cost

Maximum Load factor 1 1 1 Departures at Terminal A and B 1433 1433 1433 1433 143

3 143

3 Minimum Fleet size 37 37 37 Maximum Fleet size 75 75 75 Vehicle- km 15476.21 15476.21 15476.21 Fuel (in liters) 619.17 619.17 619.17 Fuel cost (in INR) 24766.85 24766.85 24766.85 Vehicle Depreciation (in INR) 10317.47 10317.47 10317.47 Crew Cost (in INR) 372580.00 372580.00 372580.00 Maintenance cost (INR) 4642.86 4642.86 4642.86 Waiting time (in minutes) 3959.17 3959.17 3959.17 Waiting time cost (in INR) 3167.34 3167.34 3167.34 Travel Time cost (in INR) 0 0 0 Fare collected (in INR) 101926 101926 101926 Number of passengers served 9664 9664 9664 Number of passengers lost 0 0 0 Operator penalty (in INR) 0 0 0 User penalty (in INR) 0 0 0 Total operation cost (in INR) 29478.21 29478.21 29478.21 User Cost (in INR) 3167.34 3167.34 3167.34 Overall cost (in INR) 31061.88 31061.88 31061.88 Simulation run ID 429 429 429

4.8.4. Conclusion

The section proposes a model to determine the fleet size for fixed route para-transit services.

Minimum fleet size has been estimated as per user demand and service constraints considering

full day of operation in both up and down direction. In addition, this study considers the

perspective of operator by ensuring a minimum amount of profit for each vehicle in each route.

This study would further help policy makers to determine the number of route permits to be

issued for para-transit services. A software is also provided along with this model.

handbook on para-transit service design in indian context ... 4.pdf · service level optimisation...

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