Commuting on the roads in Pune points to heavy dependence on private vehicles. Authorities attribute this overdependence to struggling Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) services, Pune Metro continuing to be a promise in progress and issues with the intermediate public transport, namely the autorickshaws and cab services.A senior police officer, who has served in the traffic control branch for several years, said, “In the last 12 years, the daily ridership of PMPML has remained almost the same, despite a major increase in population. From 12.2 lakh per day in 2012, it is now 12.08 lakh per day, which is actually a slight dip, when ideally this number should have seen a significant rise. During the same period, the number of private vehicles has risen from 35 lakh to 72 lakh. These are numbers for Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad together. We get the real picture when we use these numbers against the rise in population.”“On the other hand, for Pune Metro, the projected ridership was around 6.5 lakh per day but the present actual ridership is around 1.5 lakh. There is a clear lack of coordination between the key public transport entities. There is also a sense of disbelief in the carrying capacity of each of the public transport,” said the officer.Talking about the steep rise in private vehicles, the officer added, “Pune has among the highest per capita vehicle ownership in the country, with two-wheelers dominating the count. During office hours and weekends, major roads witness critical traffic snarls. Flyovers and underpasses are no longer relief points but new choke points. More vehicles also mean higher emissions and increased road accidents. Pune and surrounding areas have high traffic-related fatalities.”Seamless transition from one mode to another will be keyAdditional Commissioner of Police for Pune city Manoj Patil, who has been overseeing several traffic planning related initiatives, said, “While it seems like a challenging target to achieve, what Pune ideally needs is a ‘multimodal transport hub’, like it has been implemented in cities like Singapore. When a passenger gets down at a bus terminal, there is a choice of Intermediate Public Transport (IPT) such as rickshaws and cabs. There needs to be a seamless transition from bus to IPT, seamless being the keyword here.”“This has been achieved to some extent at the railway station in Pune. There is a bus stand next to the railway station and the transition to rickshaw and cab is easy. Many cities in the world have ‘one mobility card’. So purchase of one card and one payment mode is acceptable by all transport modes including bus, Metro, tram, boats, railways and this card also facilitates concession for the IPT services,” said the ACP.Story continues below this adPatil said ensuring a seamless commute for passengers with all kinds of transport needs should be the aim. This should also reflect in the booking system. “For example, I am travelling to Mumbai from Pune. When I book a railway ticket, can it include my feeder bus service or IPT booking? Any passenger will appreciate the ease of transit over the use of each mode of transit, thus increasing overall ridership and the businesses. One mode of transport not getting aligned to another negatively affects both businesses.Now, for such a multi-modal transport hub and one mobility card to work, we need to have seamless coordination and linkages between these services. So when my travel to Mumbai till my destination is seamless, why will I use my own car?”He further said, “Technologies to bring this ease of transit are available out there, we just have to use them. When the rickshaw brings passengers to the state transport bus and the state transport bus gives passengers to the rickshaw, both of their businesses grow. But this transition has to be hasslefree for it to work.”Infra for non-motorised transport non-negotiableAn officer from the traffic control branch of Pimpri Chinchwad police said, “A major factor in the success of public transport is ensuring that the infrastructure for the non motorised transport is in very good condition. This means ensuring good condition of footpaths, walkways, footover bridges and underpases and the cycle tracks during all seasons. This aspect is absolutely non-negotiable.”Story continues below this ad“A large number of roads in Pune do not have walkable footpaths. The condition worsens during monsoon. Many places desperately need pedestrian underpasses or overbridges. This suggests that civic bodies are a major stakeholder for the success of the public transport ecosystem,” said the officer.Data driver tech solutionsAdditional Commissioner Patil added, “Effective use of the crowd sourced data is going to be crucial in our journey ahead. For example, data shows that 60 people travel from Pashan to Hadapsar every morning, for which one bus can be arranged. Data will also show that these passengers return to Pashan somewhere between 6pm and 7pm, thus giving stakeholders an idea when to time the bus and ensure buses do not run empty or get overcrowded. When overcrowding is reduced, it will improve the overall experience of the passenger.”“A commuter compares every bad experience with public transport with his or her private vehicle, thus increasing their dependence on private vehicles—-overdependence on which naturally compounds traffic,” said Patil.A retired ACP, who has served in the Pune city traffic police, said, “Pune has a Comprehensive Mobility Plan in place and talks of a multi-modal and multi-stakeholder mobility model are on. This plan too needs to be augmented by crowdsourced data. Pune also has a body like the Pune Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority. Such bodies also need more executive powers and increased functionalities.”