Workshop ‘Mobility for poor: Improving informal transport’ 3-5 October, 2012 Maple hall, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi Presented by Dr. Engr. Jnan Ranjan Sil Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Theme 2: Role of informal transport in meeting the mobility needs of the poor/ low-income population. Points of discussions: • Define Informal transport • Informal transport in Dhaka city • Scenarios of Dhaka city • Role of informal transport • The key challenges of Informal transport • Proposal to improve informal transport • The key traits of Informal transport
Define Informal transport: • As definition of Informal indicates that they do not work like formal systems i.e. they lack of licenses, vehicles are unregistered, they pick up passengers in undesignated places, they do not follow traffic rules, they do not have to meet any technical standards to ensure safety of passengers, etc (CIDA, 2011). • However, such definition /criteria may not always be followed to designate a mode as ‘informal’. • The confusion mainly happens with regard to legal/ regulatory recognition of informal modes. • While in many cases, we may identify a mode as informal, it is not necessary that it may be totally independent of any regulation / legality. • For example, in Dhaka case we identify Auto Rickshaw, Auto tempo, Baby Taxi, Human Hauler (Private mini bus), etc are registered from BRTA but they may be a informal transport.
Informal Transport in Dhaka city : (Table 1.1) •
Sl Informal No Transport for . poor
Informal Transport for middle -class
1.
Bi-cycle
Rickshaw
2.
Van
Rickshaw
3
Human Haulers
Auto Rickshaw
4
Human Pullers
Baby Taxi
5
Converted Jeeps Taxi cab
6
Converted Mini- Horse cart buses
7
Country boats
Remarks
The scenarios of existing Dhaka city: • Dhaka is one of the least motorized region with approximately 32 motorized vehicles per 1000 residents. Only 14% of mechanized journeys are made by automobiles and about 60% of people travel by buses. • Good transport in low-income cities like Dhaka can be an important employer by creating laboring jobs and hauling goods on hand carts or rickshaws. • The use of motorized traffic is still in its infancy in Dhaka and there are a large number of ways in which to plan for the future increases. • As a result of these differences, it is likely that there will need to be a control of automobile access to the older parts of the existing city with higher accessibility being planned areas with some areas being designated as car-free zones.
The scenarios of existing Dhaka city: DHAKA CITY Current status: • Bangladesh was ranked 146th out of 187 countries in the 2011 Human Development Index, and Dhaka is consistently ranked one of the world’s most unlivable cities in the Global Live-ability Report. • Traffic congestion and air pollution play a major role in these poor rankings Greater Dhaka is one of the fastest-growing mega-cities and one of the most densely populated cities in the world. • Since 2000, its population has more than doubled and it is projected to grow from 17 million in 2012 to 25 million in 2025. • Such high density in a city with limited inhabitable land—owing to the city’s topography, limited infrastructure, and low level of public services—results in tremendous congestion and constrains the UTS’ ability to provide mobility for all people. • In Dhaka city major modes of transports are informal. Rapid growth and rising popularity of the informal modes of transport among the low population groups are increasing.
DHAKA CITY PHOTO
Table 1‑ 2: Number of Registered Motor Vehicles in Dhaka Upto2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Jun11
Total (Up to June 2011)
Motor Car
87866
4734
5633
7403
1024 4
1374 9
1765 4
1955 7
7282
174122
Jeep/Micro Bus
32391
2114
3303
4548
4372
5077
6803
6687
3007
68302
Taxi
9369
523
514
266
0
0
10
0
0
10682
Bus
2614
779
728
949
1082
1144
914
1101
600
9911
Minibus
7460
368
118
75
77
107
112
142
56
8515
Truck
20342
1437
1104
1480
830
1642
3180
4543
2364
36922
3-wheeler
10687
2344
139
230
121
155
1144
1362
776
16958
Motor Cycle
11929 9
7872
1287 9
1628 4
1730 3
2371 3
2209 3
3026 4
1858 8
268295
Others
13187
1300
2361
2728
2913
2550
4868
1222 5
7164
49296
Total
30321 5
2147 1
2677 9
3396 3
3694 2
4813 7
5677 8
7588 1
3983 7
643003
Table 1‑ 3: Vehicular Traffic Composition by Mode Vehicle Type
16 Hours flows for 6 Intersections (nos.)
Proportion (%)
In PCU
Car/Jeep
19,850
8.4
19,580
Bus
4,999
2.1
14,997
Minibus
14,360
6.2
28,720
Tempo
9,904
4.2
14,856
Auto-Rickshaw
42,622
18.3
17,049
Motorcycle
4,382
1.9
1,315.6
Truck
4,520
1.9
13,560
434
0.2
1,302
Sub-Total of Motorized
1,00,801
43.2
91,799
Rickshaw
1,22,032
52.3
1,83,048
Bicycle
3,045
1.3
1,218
Rickshaw Van
6,668
2.9
10,002
834
0.4
2,662
Sub-Total of Non-Motorized
1,32,879
56.8
1,96,930
Total=
2,33,380
100
2,88,729
Oil Tanker
Push Cart
Source: DUTP
Table 1‑ 4: Person Trip and Passenger-km by Mode Mode
No. of Person Trips
‘000/day
%
Car
576
10.5
Bus
1,482
AutoRickshaw Rickshaw
Average Trip Length per day (km)
Passenger-Km
‘000/day
%
10.4
5,990
11.9
27.0
13.5
20,007
39.8
845
15.2
12.8
10,816
21.6
1,927
35.0
4.3
8,286
16.5
675
12.3
7.5
5,066
10.1
Sub-Total =
5,505
100
9.1
50,165
100
Walk
9,000
62.0
1.0
9,000
15
Total =
14,505
100
4.1
59,165
100
Others
Source: Estimated from DITS
Modes of Travel (According to STP)
Non-Motorized On Foot (Pedestrian)
:
14%
NMT’S (Rickshaws)
:
34%
Total Non-Motorized Share
:
48%
Private cars etc., 8%
On Foot (Pedestrian) , 14% On Foot (Pedestrian) NMT’S (Rickshaws)
Motorized Public Transit (Buses)
:
44%
Private cars etc. (Growing very rapidly)
:
8%
Total Motorized Share
:
52%
Public Transit (Buses), 44 %
NMT’S (Rickshaws), 34%
Public Transit (Buses) Private cars etc.
Table 1‑ 5: Number of Motorized Vehicles in Dhaka will be in the year 2020
Vehicle Type Motor Cars
2020 A.D 2,58,038
Jeeps
45,738
Big Buses
17,280
Mini Buses
14,452
Trucks
38,244
2 Wheelers Others All Vehicles
3,18,000 20,282 7,12,034
Remarks Basing on present trend & data
Role of informal transport in meeting the mobility needs of the poor/low-income population : The informal transport sector provides real and meaningful benefits to significant segments of populations of many third-world countries.
•
a) Mobility and development: The chief benefit of informal transport is that provides muchvalued mobility especially for the poor/low-income populations.
•
b) Source of Employment: Informal transport provides desperately needed employment for hundreds of thousand of un-skilled young men, many who have just arrived from countryside’s in hopes of improving their lives. It is often a gateway to urban employment. It often generates enough income to get them established until they can land a better job.
Role of informal transport (contd..) • c) Complementarity's: Informal transport is often leaned upon by formal operators to provide feeder connections between neighborhood’s and trunk routes. • d) Efficient, low cost service: As noted, informal transport is resourceful and costeffective. Handwork and no-frill services keep costs low. The drive to maximize earnings and frequent passenger turn-over produce high patronage counts. • e) Market responsiveness: Informal operators can easily alter schedules, routes, and operating practices in response to shifting market conditions.
The key challenges associated with formal transport: • For true sense, role of informal transport in meeting needs of the poor/low-income population are not effective because of high cost of informal transport fare rate. • People avail this type of transport for their urgent need. • In this case public mass transport is the only solution. • Concern is that the sector is responsible for significant negative externalities, like traffic congestion and accidents that harm public safety and welfare.
The key challenges ( contd..) These concerns are the following : • A) Traffic congestion • B) Disorderly operations and unfair practices • C) Accidents and public safety • D) Air-pollution and environmental problems • E) Cream skimming • F) Intangible Factors
How can we improve informal transport? We can improve the informal transport through the following strategies and programs:• (1) Management and organizational options; • (2) Regulatory reforms; • (3) Financial initiatives; • (4) Infrastructure improvements; • (5) Traffic management; • (6) Training; and • (7) Demonstration programs.
What are the key traits of Informal transport?
• The informal transport comprises mostly small-vehicles, low-performance services that are privately operated and that charge commercial rates to, for the most part; lowincome, car-less individuals making non-work trips. • Like other informal business generally speaking; the informal transport sector is made up of self-employed entrepreneurs who lack official registration, and who work long, hard hours in a highly competitive market place. • The key traits are as follows: a) Entrepreneurialism: b) Small, aging vehicles: c) Low-performance services: d) Competitive, niche markets:
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