A case for public transport : Valley Vision

There is competition among friends and family to drive the newest and best cars.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

Every other day, a carmaker launches a brand-new car more beautiful and comfortable than the last. We discard our old car and drive our new car proudly and happily.

My father had a second-hand Ambassador car which lasted him a lifetime. We bought a Premier Padmini, upgraded to a Maruti 800 and eventually to a slightly higher version in about 30 years. The last car we bought is now 10 years old and friends and family have been urging us to upgrade.

The mode of transport I used for the first 30 years of my adult life was bus, train, autorickshaw or carpool. Colleagues and friends would urge me to buy a small car. My reply was that I wanted to choose from all vehicles on the road and would not be restricted to one car. Also that I would not want to add to the congestion on the roads and the pollution.

Many years ago, I was a moderator in a panel discussion about multi-modal transport systems. Most panellists felt that the country needed to encourage use of public transport, to reduce the traffic congestion and pollution, limit road accidents and increase efficiency of use of resources. Unfortunately, the situation today is much more skewed towards personal vehicles than in the past.

We have all these old and new cars rushing around. Carpools seem to be a no-no, as people prefer the flexibility of a personal car.

Aspirational India firmly believes in keeping up with the Joneses, and there is competition among friends and family to drive the newest and best cars. Flowing from this is the perception that anyone using public transport is not successful or ambitious enough. There are other ways to flaunt one’s success and wealth, if one wants, without adding to the traffic and pollution. The public authorities need to encourage use of public transport. For that, they need to improve the quality of the buses and trains, transport infrastructure and safety of the commuter.

lakshmi.r.srinivas@gmail.com