The regulator acts as market referee and needs to balance competing wants from service providers, commuters, and Government agencies. Independence is crucial, to ensure that the regulator acts objectively, impartially and consistently. In order to keep the office of the regulator independent, the following factors should be kept in mind during the design stage: Structural factors • • • •
No involvement in running mobility services Transparency and accountability Independent committee to pick regulator Clearly stated qualifications
Financial factors •
Financial independence
Staff Behaviour • • •
Clear roles Statement of expectations on staff conduct Conditions on employment pre and post regulatory stint to prevent revolving door
Research has shown that in addition to features of institutional design, independence of the regulator is ensured by developing a culture of independence in the office of regulator (OECD 2016). The following section lays out a template to evaluate current regulatory structures in cities and can be used to monitor the proposed Sustainable Mobility Regulator’s office as well. 3.3 Evaluating the efficacy of Transportation Regulatory Environment An important part of the reform is setting up a framework to evaluate the efficacy of the mobility regulator- both the institutional structures, as well as the outcomes for the city’s residents. The metrics to evaluate institutions have been developed under the Transport Governance Initiative (TGI) Toolkit (Transport Governance Initiative 2018). The toolkit provides a framework for evaluating the quality of transport governance in Indian cities. Elements have been added to this framework to evaluate outputs -efficiency, affordability, environmental impact of a city’s mobility services. This framework can be used to evaluate the quality of governance, as well as the outcomes in the selected city, to provide a clear picture of the strengths, as well as lacunae in the city’s transport governance.
Urban Mobility Regulatory Environment in India
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