How can UP Improve Bus Stop Access & Infrastructure for Public Transportt?

REPORT

Improving Bus Stop Infrastructure and Their Accessibility in Uttar Pradesh

19 June, 2024 | Sustainable Mobility

Samradh Singh Chauhan, Krishna Khanna, Apaar Srivastava, Divyanshu Yadav, Udit Narayan Mall, Sourav Dhar and Himani Jain

Suggested citation: Chauhan, Samradh Singh, Krishna Khanna, Apaar Srivastava, Divyanshu Yadav, Udit Narayan Mall, Sourav Dhar, Himani Jain. 2024. Driving Sustainable Urban Mobility in Uttar Pradesh: Improving Bus Stop Infrastructure and Their Accessibility. New Delhi: Council on Energy, Environment and Water.

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Overview

This study develops a ‘bus stop and access infrastructure audit and improvement framework’ using Lucknow's case. 45 bus stops and 56 access infrastructure locations (~12 km) were selected for the audit based on public transport ridership and land use distribution in Lucknow. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs's toolkits were used for conducting the audits. The audit was performed on a comprehensive list of 24 indicators of quality, comfort, safety, and continuity to develop a ‘level of service’ (LOS) criteria.

The study recommends a phase-wise infrastructural improvement plan for Lucknow based on LOS analysis. The study also provides priority phasing and costing of the bus stop and access infrastructure upgrades. The framework developed in the study supports Uttar Pradesh’s recently launched Chief Minister's Green Road Infrastructure Development (CM-GRID) scheme and other urban bus system initiatives.

Key findings

Only 40 per cent of bus stops in Lucknow have a permanent bus shelter.
90 per cent of bus stops do not have adequate signage, lack universal accessibility features such as tactile flooring, ramps, etc.
Only one in five bus stops have good quality seating facilities and are maintained regularly.
About 60 per cent of the audited locations in Lucknow didn’t have footpaths on either side of the road. Another 18 per cent of audited locations in the city have drain covers and paved shoulders being used as footpaths.
Of the 17 audit access infrastructure audit parameters, eight were found to be in the ‘Poor’ category (score of less than 0.25 out of one). These included provision of disabled-friendly infrastructure, buffer segregation, landscaping and more.
Lucknow needs around INR 1173 crore (USD 140 million) to develop about 284 bus stops and complete street redevelopment of the 240 km street network by 2031.

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Samradh Singh Chauhan

Programme Associate

[email protected]

Strong economies are built on strong foundations. In Uttar Pradesh’s journey towards a USD 1 trillion economy - safe and comfortable bus stops and access infrastructure are not just amenities but critical investments that will unlock the potential of our workforce and keep our cities moving.

Executive Summary

Uttar Pradesh’s (UP) one-trillion-dollar economy ambition by 2027 relies on a urbanisation jump from 23 per cent to 35 per cent (Radhakrishna 2022). It is imperative that the transport infrastructure keeps pace
with the anticipated rapid urbanisation. For instance, UP will need 12,000 buses in 26 cities by 2031 (Jain et al.2024) to ensure its citizens have access to affordable and sustainable mobility services. These cities, therefore, need to be equipped with good quality bus stops and safe access infrastructure as part of the overall public transport service.

In 2023, the UP government launched the Chief Minister’s Green Road Infrastructure Development Scheme (CM-GRIDS) to improve the urban road infrastructure ecosystem in cities. In its 2024–25 budget, the UP government has allocated INR 500 crore for bus fleet enhancement and INR 800 crore for CM-GRIDS. The Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), as part of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) project on Cleaner Air and Better Health (CABH), developed a bus stop and access infrastructure audit and improvement framework to aid the government’s efforts, under the guidance of the Directorate of Urban Transport. Priority areas for improvement and costing have been included in the recommendations.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) toolkits were used to carry out infrastructure audits. Lucknow was selected as an example for its diverse bus stop infrastructure and being the key city in the UP CM-GRIDS. Overall, 45 bus stops and 56 access infrastructure locations in Lucknow were audited which were identified based on public transport ridership, pedestrian footfall in city’s points of interest and land use. In total, 24 indicators were audited at bus stops and access infrastructure locations. These included indicators pertaining to dimensions of infrastructure, universal accessibility, amenities, signage etc. All indicators were broadly categorised into parameters of quality, comfort, safety and continuity. Based on indicator score obtained as per the site conditions, these parameters were given a level of service (LOS) ranging from LOS ‘A’ to LOS ‘D’ with LOS ‘A’ being the most adequate. Figures ES1 and ES2 reveal the key findings from the audit LOS of bus stops and access infrastructure.

Key findings from the bus stop infrastructure audit in Lucknow

Figure ES1 Most bus stops in Lucknow score moderate in terms of level of service (LOS)

Key findings from the public transport access infrastructure audit

Figure ES2 Access infrastructure in Lucknow, with a score of 0.21/1, is in category D level of service (LOS)

Recommendations

Upgrading bus stops and access infrastructure in a city can be a long-term undertaking and thus to ensure efficient implementation, a phased approach is crucial. The LOS audit, used as a baseline and overlaid with public transport ridership data, revealed high-impact areas for improvement. Consequently, the following three-phased approach is recommended for improving bus stops and access infrastructure in Lucknow by 2031 (Figure ES3).

Phase 1 (2025–26): Develop 75 bus stops and 36 km of street sections in areas such as Charbagh, Polytechnic, and Transport Nagar with the highest public transport ridership and heavy pedestrian movement.
Phase 2 (2027–29): Develop 116 bus stops and 103 km of street sections in areas such as Janakipuram, Gomti Nagar, and Dubagga with moderate public transport ridership and pedestrian movement.
Phase 3 (2030–31): Develop 93 bus stops and 102 km of street sections in areas such as Shaheed Path, Chowk, Aliganj, and Mohan, with an expected increase in public transport ridership and pedestrian movement.

Figure ES3 Phase-wise bus stop and access infrastructure improvement plan for Lucknow

Source: Authors’ analysis

Lucknow needs INR 1173 crore (USD 140 million) to develop 284 bus stops and improve 241 km of street network by 2031.

The estimate includes provisions for three types of recommended bus stops of varying sizes and amenities based on bus frequency and commuter flow.
The estimate for street development includes shifting utilities such as stormwater drains, water supply, and sewage underground, as well as providing parking, cycle tracks, surveillance, etc.

The study’s bus stop and access infrastructure audit and improvement framework can be scaled to other urban local bodies in UP by:

Adopting ‘One State–One Module’ standards for bus stop and access infrastructure. The Urban Development Department of UP should develop standardised audit modules and design guidelines for bus stops and access infrastructure. These typical guides will help in achieve economies of scale, ensuring consistent quality across other UP cities.
Undertaking periodic audits to ensure the desired level of service. Municipal corporations, bus service providers, traffic police, and other road-building agencies must train a cadre of auditors to undertake and monitor audits of bus stop and access infrastructure.
Designating municipal corporations as nodal agencies. In majority cities, bus stops are developed by municipal corporations and street infrastructure is developed by other agencies. Municipal corporations must act as nodal agencies to draw up a combined vision for bus stop and access infrastructure improvement in the city and streamline the process of implementation through integration of projects.
Maintaining standard contracts and tenders. State agencies or ULBs must follow template based tendering to ensure quality, comfort, safety, and universal accessibility in bus stop and access infrastructure designs. The standards and specifications of the design elements must be integrated in these templates in accordance with MoHUA/state design guidelines of bus stops or access infrastructure.

Buses remain the most affordable form of public transport for approximately 6 million citizens in UP (Jain et al. 2024), drawn mostly from low- and middle-income groups across UP cities. By 2027, buses will account for a significant portion of the transport sector’s 40 billion gross state domestic product (GSDP). Therefore, improved bus fleets, bus stops, and access infrastructure are integral to enhancing mobility, leading to cleaner air and better health for citizens.

FAQs

Why do bus stops and their access infrastructure matter?

As per a survey conducted by MoHUA of 40+ Indian cities, the majority of bus users highlighted overcrowding at the bus stops as the main reason for travel discomfort. According to the same survey, reaching the bus stop itself is the third most significant inconvenience public transport users face. Daily, about 1-1.5 lakh people use public transport in Lucknow and over 40 per cent of Lucknow's bus users walk to reach bus stops. While walking is the key first and last-mile mode for public transport, only 47 per cent of the city's streets had footpaths (Lucknow Municipal Corporation 2015).
How do we assess the condition of public transport infrastructure?

This study focuses on auditing bus stops and access infrastructure conditions using Lucknow's case. An indicator-based auditing method can be used, which was adapted from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs toolkits such as the Public Transport Accessibility Toolkit, Urban Road Safety Audit Toolkit, Non-Motorised Transport Guidance Document, etc. City officials must conduct these audits at periodic intervals.
How can the bus stop and access infrastructure be improved?

Regular bus stop audits are key to understanding the gaps in the bus stop and access infrastructure ecosystem. These audits pinpointed specific issues in Lucknow, such as a lack of shelters, inadequate lighting, missing footpaths, and missing accessibility features for people with disabilities. Since the audits are score-based, city officials can set the priorities for improving specific features of bus stops or access infrastructure.