Passengers alight from a public transport in Nagaland’s capital Kohima on Friday. A report finding by Ola Mobility Institute revealed that Kohima ranks first in frequency of using public transport among ‘Promising Cities’ in India. (Morung Photo by Thiala Chang)
DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 2 (MExN): In an effort to lay the groundwork for building a sustainable mobility ecosystem, Ola Mobility Institute, the research and outreach arm of Ola, one of the world’s largest ride-hailing platforms, today released India’s first Ease of Moving Index 2018.
As per the report findings, Kohima ranks first in frequency of using public transport among ‘Promising Cities’ in India. The report also stated that 73% of Kohima residents felt that state of mobility has improved over the last five years.
The index offers insight into mobility preferences and aspirations of Indian commuters across 20 cities with a population of over 92 million. It seeks to offer a comprehensive action plan for cities to further strengthen their public transportation systems and improve the overall state of mobility.
The report was released by Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister, Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, in the presence of Bhavish Aggarwal, Co-founder and CEO of Ola, amongst other key dignitaries.
With mobility needs being city-specific, the report surveyed over 43,000 respondents from 20 cities spanning across the length and breadth of the country. These cities were selected on five parameters – Scale, Character, Culture, Economy and Geography. Considering 50+ parameters that have been segmented into People, Infrastructure and Sustainability as the pillars of evaluation, the report assesses the accessibility, efficiency and safety of current transportation facilities.
With sustainability being the need of the hour, the index offers a roadmap which will aid transit agencies and urban planners to make informed decisions and align solutions with the preferences of commuters.
In India, over 80 percent of commuters use public transport on account of it being affordable, time-saving and convenient. Kolkata offers the most affordable transport services, whereas Delhi provides the most comfortable transport to its citizens, the report by Ola said.
On the cleanliness front, Ahmedabad leads the way in offering cleanest public transport services. Patna tops with the least travel time required to go for work trips as the city is well served by intermediate public transport (IPTs).
Among metro cities, Kolkata leads the ease of mobility index at 5.42, followed by New Delhi (5.32) and Chennai (5.27). Mumbai ranks sixth with an index of 4.95.
The high willingness of passengers to use public transport can be used to make policies catering to specific needs of different users by improving service levels, real-time information, providing clean public transport, improving frequency and better route planning.
Speaking at the launch event, Nitin Gadkari said, “The ease of moving index is a commendable effort to assess the state of mobility for cities. This report has important information that can help public stakeholders, city administrators and city planners in making smarter decisions to address pollution, congestion, and safety, and in building dynamic solutions to improve mobility for citizens at large.”
Bhavish Aggarwal, Co-founder & CEO, Ola said, “The revolution in mobility is just beginning and we believe the emergence of a mobility economy can be a catalyst for economic and social development for the nation.”
