Evaluating the sustainability of Mass Transit System a case Study of Rawalpindi Islamabad METRO

Abstract

In a world of rising urban traffic congestion, increasing air and noise pollution and worsening road safety, there is broad consensus on the value of mass transit as a sustainable solution to urban mobility. Mass transit system or public transport is a shared passenger transit service that is financially feasible, operationally efficient and equitable. Bus Rapid Transit system (BRTs) is a specialized design of infrastructure and management services which improve the quality of travel by providing a comfortable and delay free travel. Recently introduced BRT system in Rawalpindi-Islamabad promises to meet the travel demand on the major corridor of Murree Road Rawalpindi to Pak Secretariat Islamabad, however, with the total population of the twin cities over 4 million an integrated transit system need to be fully implemented throughout the city. Maximizing the accessibility and integration with the feeder service of public transport is expected to elevate the living standards of the cities, complement to the economic growth and help alleviating the congestion and pollution issues. A financially viable operation of BRT is a self-financing state where the operating expenses are met by the revenues generated by the fare box. In contrast to this desire, the transit system of the twin cities is annually subsidized heavily and lacks to attract the predicted ridership. In this project the financial viability and sustainability of a mass transit system of Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metro is evaluated. The operating expenses are calculated by using data that is collected from the Metro Bus Authority. Expenses are compared with the revenues generated. Using a stated-preference survey to ascertain/ judge the willingness-to-pay of the public/ passengers, different recommendations are presented to improve the operating ratio (cost to revenue ratio). Also, this study suggested two feeder routes to maximize the accessibility and sustainability of the transit service. Using the ridership of these two routes; number of buses, frequency of buses, travel time, and headway are calculated assuming the bus seating capacity and staff salaries, etc. proposed feeder service fare per kilometer for one passenger is calculated. Moreover, ridership trends are graphically presented to demonstrate the variation over the days of the week, and variation over the course of the day. These trend lines are visible indicator of the travel demand of the twin cities, and reveal that the stations with higher demand require the bus headways to be varied accordingly. The project also develops a representative dynamic model of Faizabad station of Rawalpindi-Islamabad BRT and suggested feeder route service integration using micro- and macro-level simulation using PTV® VISSIM and VISUM software packages. The study on recently implemented BRT project develops an insight on viable policy principles for enhancing the positive economic impacts (financial viability of urban transport in terms of minimizing social cost and maximizing social benefits). It also identifies and highlights successful practices for sustainable operation of urban transport by introducing the feeder routes and maximizing the accessibility