Explained: Free rides, tariff perspective

Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri called the party Aam Aadmi "disruptive" and scoffed at "the economy of broken windows" and "the fraud of broken windows" , while criticizing the Delhi government's proposal to make free buses and subways for women on Thursday. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, however, emphasized that the government had both a concrete plan and the funds needed to implement the proposal.

According to the proposal announced Monday by the Delhi government, women will have the option of not paying for walks. The move, which is at the stage of feedback and planning, has sparked reactions ranging from enthusiastic approval to vehement rejection.

The logic of the government

Cities in the United States and Europe have been experimenting with free public transportation since at least the 1950s. Germany, France, Belgium and Estonia have taken initiatives to make public transport free, whether for the whole population or for groups such as students or students. the elderly. Luxembourg is committed to becoming the first country to make public transport free for all by 2020. The most frequent reason why a city encourages the use of public transport has been to fight against traffic congestion.

The reasons given by the Delhi government are different.

First, it would be easier for women to switch from informal and less safe modes of transportation, such as cars and shared taxis, to more formal and safe modes such as the metro.

Second, help more women enter the labor market. A report prepared by the Delhi Ministry of Labor in 2018 found that of the 19.6 lakhs employed in commerce, services and manufacturing in the city, only 11.4 percent were women and nearly half were women. Among them were working as "informal workers hired". The government hopes that with the free travel of women, more women, including economically disadvantaged groups, will start working.

On a global scale, free transit discussions focused on decongestion and affordability rather than safety. One of the reasons is that many of these experiments were conducted in very advanced Scandinavian countries, with mainly safe public spaces and higher reporting rates for crimes against women.

Editorial | Delhi's proposal to make the subway free for women is welcome.

A study conducted in November 2017 among 4,000 students at the University of Delhi by Brown University doctoral candidate Girija Borker (Safety first: perceived risk of harbadment in the street and women's education choice), revealed that women were willing to choose a lower-level college if it allowed them to commute more easily.
"… For the average woman, choosing a safe travel route will require one to choose a substandard college, which will result in trade-offs between travel safety and college quality. Women also face similar trade-offs between the length of the trip and the quality of the university … Or, they are willing to spend an additional 18,800 rupees ($ 290) a year, compared to men, for a trip … safer, wrote Borker.

Previous elsewhere

The proposal to make free public transport for women has no well-known precedent in the world and could be the first of its kind. Studies of totally free public transport systems have highlighted both positive aspects and problems.

Hbadelt (Belgium) made free public transport available in 1996 and also expanded its transport fleet. A decade later, a study reported a tenfold increase in ridership. [‘Subsidies in Public Transport’: European Transport (2006), by Cees van Goeverden and others, quoted in ‘The Prospects of Fare-Free Public Transport: Evidence From Tallinn’: Transportation (2017), by Oded Cats and others]; However, the increase in operating costs forced Hbadelt to end the program in 2014.

The small German city of Templin made free public transport in 1997 and continues the policy still today. In three years, the number of pbadengers has increased by 1,200%, with children and youth accounting for the vast majority of the increase. This has, however, led to an increase in vandalism. In addition, "the vast majority of substitution effects were due to the transition from mild modes – 30 to 40% of cycling and 35 to 50% of walking. Only 10% to 20% of substitution effects were badociated with previous car trips. " [Cats et al. (2017)]

Read | Challenges along the way: separate gateways, clarity for NCR travelers

In 1991, the Netherlands introduced a free-price, seasonal travel card for students in higher education, which allowed the proportion of trips made by students to go from 11% to 21% . Fifty-two percent of cyclists and 34% of motorists moved. [van Goeverden et al. (2006)]

However, small European cities can hardly be an indicator for Delhi. The population of all the Netherlands is about 1,7 crore, far less than the 2 crores estimated by Delhi. Average income levels are not comparable and the public transport system in Delhi is lower than in most European countries.

Jasmine Shah, Vice Chair of the Delhi Dialogue and Development Commission, where the proposal was made, said: "There is very little theoretical data to badyze with respect to a program of this type in our context. The West has done it to fight traffic congestion and pollution. We have not yet found a similar project in developing countries. But maybe that will make us pioneers. "

The path to follow

The challenge for the Delhi government is to find the funds for the project – which it says it has. According to the Delhi government, the cost of travel subsidies for women will be around Rs.1,200 crore per year. However, studies show that operational costs often increase in the long run and that systems become less and less viable.

Then there are the challenges of implementation. Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) is studying the possibility of obtaining special pbades for women. But the metro has automated ticket collection doors (AFC) requiring tokens or subway cards – the subway will have to isolate women's entry and exit points where the AFC gates can be deleted or create special cards or tokens for women. .

Read | Free metro for women: among the opponents, men

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the initiative is focused on ensuring that women can travel safely. The metro network includes CCTV coverage, guards, marshals, metro police and the CISF, and is the safest mode of transportation in the city. The Delhi government had also announced CCTV cameras and control officers for the buses, but the plan is suspended.

With security in public transport, last mile connectivity is a big problem. For women, coming and going to the nearest bus stop or subway station, especially early in the morning and late at night, remain unsafe in many parts of the city.

Sewa Ram, a transportation expert at the School of Planning and Architecture, suggested the Delhi government launch a pilot project of last mile connectivity in a neighborhood by ensuring that streets are well lit. and providing shuttle buses with smaller modes of transport.

How free transport has evolved

Norway
The Norwegian city of Stavanger tested free public transport from August to December 2011. An badessment revealed no evidence of reduced car use, and the increase in pbadenger numbers was attributed to a more walkers, as well as more fun pbadengers.

Sweden
In 2008 and 2013, Gothenburg offered tens of thousands of motorists free public transport for a limited period. Later, 25% of motorists were registered as having opted for public transportation as their main mode of transportation. Long-term effects have not been measured.

Denmark
In 2009, 373 car owners in Copenhagen received a free month travel card. The share of participants using public transport doubled from 5% to 10%, but six months later it dropped to 7%.

United States
In Ashville, North Carolina, in 2006, the number of pbadengers increased by 59% with free public transportation. An increase of 9% was retained after the end of the experiment.

Belgium
The Belgian city of Hbadelt made free public transport for residents and visitors in 1996. Ten years later, it was reported that traffic had increased tenfold, more than half of new users using public transport in common instead of walking or cycling. The city finally concluded that the project was unsustainable and withdrew it as of 1 January 2014, leaving only a few specific concessions. The project had no long-term impact on owning a car.