So near yet so far for Gujarat’s transport infra

The fourth of a six-part series examines why daily commute in Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, and GIFT City remains a challenge despite better bus and metro services, and new infrastructure

- SARTHAK CHOUDHURY

Sejal, a 30-year-old who took a bus from the airport, is waiting at the Sola Cross bus stop for her parents to pick her up.

Her two attempts to step out of the BRTS (Bus Rapid Transport System) station were made futile by a downpour and the premium charged by auto drivers to drop her to Thaltej. She had to finally call her parents to pick her up.

“This is the best and worst of Ahmedabad’s public transportation. The BRTS helped me reach this point for ₹50 from the airport. Even if I take flights early in the morning or late evening, I take the BRTS because it starts at 6 am and functions till 11 pm. The problem is — how do you reach the bus stop,” she asks while leaving, as her parents came to pick her up.

Ahmedabad is gearing up for an important event a few years ahead, with the city all but confirmed to host the Commonwealth Games in 2030, and looking to host the Olympics in 2036. Keeping this in mind, the Gujarat Budget this year allocated ₹1,000 crore to the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) and Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority to enhance public infrastructure.

The BRTS, introduced in 2009, has a near 160-kilometre route. For some people, especially on the outskirts, it has proven to be a lifeline. Chand, 32, says the frequency of buses is a major plus for him. “The problem is that it merges into the traffic in some places. That wasn’t how the BRTS was supposed to function. Exclusivity was its USP. Now, buses of Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service (AMTS) also run on BRTS routes. This aggravates the problem.”

The issue of congestion on BRTS routes comes up time and again. According to a report, an analysis of the city’s public transport system, conducted in 2023, revealed that the AMTS has an average ridership of 420,000 passengers per day and the BRTS has 180,000 passengers per day.