Towards a sustainable mobility and inclusive future for Bengaluru – an analysis and overview of India’s 2024 mobility regulations.
In the context of sustainability, mobility is often identified as a key component of social and economic development, essential for people to access goods, resources, information, jobs, and markets. However, such a definition proves inadequate when it focuses only on the provision of infrastructure to support the movement of goods and services.
This narrow perspective fails to capture its nuanced role as a catalyst for social equity, opportunity, and well-being. It is better to interpret mobility as the ‘freedom to move around,’ an integral component of happiness influenced by the following factors: accessibility, congestion, comfort in travel, and punctuality and information about delays.
It is better to interpret mobility as the ‘freedom to move around,’ an integral component of happiness.
Affordability and quality of life for all citizens should additionally serve as inherent factors of mobility, alongside its intersection with other city systems.
Understanding Mobility in Bengaluru’s Context
Located in the Southern Indian state of Karnataka, the city of Bengaluru’s central core zone has always been densely populated with a radially expanding periphery continuously altering the city’s limits. Since the Information Technology (IT) boom of the 1990s, the city outskirts have seen an increased development of high-rise apartments, gated communities, and business parks.
A network of buses operated by the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) forms the backbone of public transport, while the Namma Metro has improved connectivity across the city since 2011. Namma Bengaluru, when translated from the Kannada language, means “Our Bangalore,” the name for which the city is better known in English.
Despite these developments, the existing transport systems prove inadequate in meeting the demands of a growing population. Bangalore’s roads are notoriously congested, with peak hours turning commuting into a nightmare; and the city once known for its salubrious climate and walkable tree-lined avenues is now (in)famous for traffic jams and poor air quality.
According to a TomTom Traffic Index study, Bengaluru was ranked the sixth most congested city in the world in 2023, with commuters losing about 132 hours per year at rush hours.
A key contributing factor to congestion is the proliferation of privately owned vehicles on the road. Felipe A. Ramirez Buitrago, a renowned urban mobility expert from Bogota (a city similar in size to Bengaluru) on a visit to the city, stated that “considering its population (15 million), Bengaluru should have 15,000–16,000 buses, more than double the current fleet (6,500).” This gap between requirement and availability of the primary mode of public transport naturally increases dependency on private vehicles.
In fact, a news article published in April 2024, states that “the city’s vehicular population stands at over 1.16 crore as of 31 March 2024, of which nearly 88% are privately owned.” The same article quotes Prof Ashish Verma, Convenor of Sustainable Transportation Lab, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru: “A jump of 340% compared to last year is phenomenal. This shows we are heading in the wrong direction. The strategy to tackle this from a sustainable mobility solution perspective is to not just focus on improving public transport but also discourage the use of cars.”
Unreliable public transport service coupled with the unpredictability of travel time impact on health, and absence of first and last mile connectivity results in people opting for two-wheelers and cars to ensure they get to work on time. It is therefore not so much a choice as it is a compulsion.
According to professor Govind Gopakumar, Chair and Associate Professor at the Centre for Engineering in Society at Concordia University, Montreal, “fragmenting of road space in the context of an absence of consensus between different social groups leads to a hierarchical system of apportioning road space. Dominant social groups on the road tend to acquire a lion’s share, while others face a diminishing prospect, something that one now finds with the steady rise of vehicular population.”
Unreliable public transport service coupled with the unpredictability of travel time impact on health.
The combined challenges of insufficient public transport, severe traffic congestion, and climate change pose a serious threat to Bangalore’s sustainable growth. Inadequate drainage systems lead to frequent waterlogging and flooding during the monsoon season, disrupting traffic and damaging road infrastructure.
The city experiences a high number of traffic accidents due to poor road conditions, lack of traffic discipline, and inadequate enforcement of traffic laws. Unsafe walking conditions lead to frequent accidents and discourage walking as a mode of transport. Lack of coordination between various government agencies and inordinate delays in completion of infrastructure projects continue to hamper the movement of residents in the city. The economic impacts are also considerable.
Traffic congestion leads to loss of productivity, as employees spend more time commuting than working. The IBM Commuter Pain Index 2011 ranked Bengaluru sixth on the emotional and economic toll of commuting. This is particularly detrimental for daily wage workers and those who depend on timely travel for their livelihoods. Economic losses due to congestion for two of the city’s IT corridors (Whitefield and Outer Ring Road) are estimated at 227.7 billion rupees annually—which excludes the health costs of air pollution.
The health impacts of air pollution and heat stress can increase healthcare costs and reduce overall productivity, for example, the high vehicular emissions cause nearly 40,000 premature deaths in the country annually. Moreover, climate-induced events like flooding cause extensive damage to infrastructure, leading to disruptions and economic losses.
Overview of India’s 2024 sustainability measures and environmental regulations by the State
In light of these challenges, Bengaluru has seen an increased focus on initiatives and plans that aim to address the mobility requirements of the city, such as:
- CMP 2020: The Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) for Bangalore provides the overall framework for integrating various transport sub-systems and addressing the needs of various segments of the population.
- TOD 2022: The Transit Oriented Development policy in Bangalore aims to foster sustainable urban development around public transit nodes, promoting mixed-use neighborhoods and reducing reliance on private vehicles.
- Suburban Rail: The Suburban Rail Project for Bangalore is a proposed initiative aimed at improving regional connectivity and decongesting the city’s roads by expanding the currently existing commuter rail network to connect the city outskirts with the central business districts, offering an alternative to overcrowded roadways.
A general critique of these intended interventions is that they are primarily large infrastructure and tech-heavy proposals. The CMP and TOD especially seem to find the solution to Bangalore’s challenges in increasing road capacity and reducing congestion for private vehicles, without a corresponding emphasis on enhancing public transport.
Moreover, mega-infrastructure projects have significant environmental, social and climate implications as they involve cutting trees, displacement of livelihoods, and encroachment of agricultural land for road-widening and infrastructure development. Perhaps acknowledging the hierarchy of privilege and who is served could be the first step to ensuring the city benefits from equitable and sustainable mobility solutions.
On the other hand, progressive initiatives like Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS), bicycle lanes, Tender S.U.R.E (Specification for Urban Roads Execution) footpaths, and experiments with pedestrian-only streets have not met with expected success either. Issues like inconsistent implementation, lack of integration with other modes of transport, uneven investment, insufficient enforcement of regulations, and inadequate coverage in the city have affected their acceptance by the wider public.
There have been initiatives and sustainability measures and environmental regulations by the State that have had a more visible impact on a wider cross-section of society and are gaining traction. Some examples here include:
- The Sustainable Mobility Accords (SuMA). An initiative by the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) in Bengaluru, this is a newer attempt aimed at promoting sustainable transportation practices and behaviors in the city. SuMA focuses on engaging various stakeholders, including government agencies, private organizations, and civil society groups to develop strategies and initiatives that prioritize sustainable modes of transportation such as walking, cycling, and public transit.
- Karnataka Shakti Scheme: Launched in June 2023, this scheme by the State Government offers free travel to women domiciled in Karnataka on non-premium, State-owned buses plying in the State.
The Green Illusion
Recent times have also seen a significant focus on electric vehicles, with the government incentivizing a shift to electric vehicles (EVs) over traditional internal combustion engines (ICEs) on all fronts. So, is going electric the solution?
While electric vehicles might help reduce air pollution and emissions, their value as a sustainable mobility solution is a bit more complex. For a country like India where electricity production is still heavily coal based and distribution is uneven, the potential positive impacts of electric vehicles can be quickly undermined.
Any policy favouring road development for cars will continue to be behind the curve in solving mobility issues in the city.
EV batteries also entail their own environmental and social costs, not to mention road infrastructure geared for cars will always be occupied and overrun in no time, especially in a growing market like India. So, whether ICE or Electric, any policy favouring road development for cars will continue to be behind the curve in solving mobility issues in the city.
The answer then lies in shifting the focus from vehicles to people. Bengaluru’s population is expected to touch nearly 20 million by 2031 from the current nearly 14 million. This would mean heavier pressure on resources and infrastructure.
An improved people to bus ratio, bus service integration with metro and rail networks, last mile connectivity options and feeder buses, enabling non-motorized transport options like walking and cycling, incentivizing options like car-pooling, and effective implementation of policies will reduce dependence on private vehicles and pave the way for a more liveable city.
The answer then lies in shifting the focus from vehicles to people.
This demands a break away from the traditional approach, and the coming together of multiple government organisations. While there is movement towards such coordination in recent years, it requires a stronger administrative and legal backing.
A first-person perspective
Latha, aged 52, the primary provider for her family, has been working since she was six years old. She went to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to work as a household helper for nearly 15 years, leaving behind her young children. She returned to Bengaluru at the turn of the millennium and presently works as a cook in two homes in the eastern part of the city. She spends at least 2–3 hours a day commuting by public transport to work, located about 10–15 km away from her home. We spoke to Latha about her experience to understand her perspective on mobility in Bengaluru.
When she first started commuting by public transport, Latha had to reach her workplace by 7:30 am. This proved difficult as buses were few, crowded, and first and last mile connectivity was absent. She eventually had to discontinue work there, as she was unable to be punctual and the daily stress began to seriously impact her health. Over time, she looked for work either closer to home or more easily accessible by bus. First and last mile connectivity was always a challenge, as it continues to be today.
When alighting from the bus, Latha finds walking to her destination fraught with danger. Footpaths are increasingly unsafe with four-wheelers parked and two-wheelers riding on them. Frequent digging of roads and pavements for various mega-infrastructure projects in the city also adds to the risk of injury. Moreover, the absence of pedestrian crossings close to bus stops makes the entire experience extremely challenging. In Latha’s case, this also makes travelling by bus with her husband – who has a foot drop condition due to polio – almost impossible, thereby increasing the burden on her to manage outdoor household chores.
She says that the recent launch of the Karnataka Shakti scheme has certainly helped to a significant extent. For instance, she is now able to save and set aside the everyday bus fare of 25–30 Indian rupees for other household expenses. For her daughter who commutes much longer distances, the savings is sizable. She also feels that the Shakti scheme has made things much easier for several of her neighbours who are now able to travel more easily and therefore consider other forms of work outside their homes. However, Latha has also noticed other effects since the launch of Shakti which, she feels, if addressed, could be extremely useful for her and others like her who rely on the city buses for their daily living.
She says that since buses tend to now fill up more quickly, they do not always stop at the designated bus stops. This poses a serious challenge, especially so when the rains or severe heat complicate the situation further. The uncertainty involved in such instances forces Latha to resort to auto rickshaws to avoid being late for work, which in turn, means incurring an additional expense. She also shares that the responsiveness of the bus staff to women, particularly those from lower income groups, has worsened. A similar response was shared by other women commuters. The reasons identified include an understaffed Road Transport Corporation and a severe shortage in the bus fleet to cater to the growing number of commuters.
Latha shares her hope for a time in the not-so-distant future when her daughter and grandchildren can commute to work and school easily and safely.
Effective mobility is about enabling sustainable, inclusive, and vibrant communities which allow people and the environment to thrive and prosper. It should efficiently cater to the most vulnerable – social, economic, or physical – along with affluent sections of society.
Latha’s experience therefore is both symptomatic of the problems as well as the transformative potential of a reimagination of mobility in the city.
The mobility concerns of Bangalore have activated citizen engagement in multiple ways. Click on the name of each initiative to learn more:
To learn more about India’s sustainability measures and environmental regulations, read Overcoming Barriers to Energy Access in Rural.
And for more radical publications on mobility, read The Unseen Impact of Patriarchal Mobility.
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