International Institute Of

Profesional Studies , DAVV

Field Project Report

2021 - 24 (Semester V)

Dr.Suresh Patidar Sir Disha Pherwani

(Program Incharge)
IB - 2K21 - 24
Dr.Sujata Parwani Ma'am
(Batch Mentor)
______________________________________

________________________________________________
TITLE Pg No.
______________________________________
Declaration 01
Certificate 02
Plagiarism Certificate 03 - 04

Acknowledgement 05

Abstract 06

Literature Review 07
Introduction 08 - 10
Objectives 11 - 12
Research Methodology 13
Findings and Discussion 14 - 24
Data Analysis 25 - 33
Suggestive Solutions 34 - 35
Conclusion 36 - 37
Limitations Of The Study 38
Scope For Further Study 39
References 40
Annexure 41 - 63
 DECLARATION

I, Disha Pherwani, Roll No, IB -2K21-24, do hereby

declare that the project work entitled "Study on
AICTSL controlled transit : urban mobility in
Indore" submitted by me to International Institute
Of Profesional Studies for the fulfillment of B.Com /
B.Com (Hons) is done by me under the guidance of
our Program Incharge, Dr. SURESH PATIDAR and
our Batch Mentor, Dr. SUJATA PARWANI.

Student Signature -
__________

Student Name

S.
No Email

01
 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that MISS DISHA PHERWANI,

student pursuing B.Com / (Hons) , has put in her
sincere work related to this field project as per
curriculum guidelines.

This project can be considered in partial

fulfilment towards his / her course - semester V.

Date -
__________

Project Guide Signature -

__________ Student Name

External Examiner Signature -

__________
S.
No Email Mobile No.

02
 PLAGIARISM CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that this project report submitted by

Ms. DISHA PHERWANI , bearing roll number IB -
2K21 - 24 , has been checked for plagiarism.

Plagiarism Check Date: December 3,2023

Plagiarism Check Method: https://copyleaks.com/
Plagiarism Detection Result: 1.4%

I hereby confirm that, to the best of my knowledge,

the content of the project report is my original work
and does not contain any material that has been
plagiarized. Suitable references have been provided
where information has been collected through
secondary sources.
Student Name

Signature: __________

S.
No Email Mobile No.

03
 PLAGIARISM CERTIFICATE

S.
No Mobile No.

04
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I extend my sincere gratitude to our Director , Dr.
BK TRIPATHI SIR and also convey my special
thanks to our Program Incharge , Dr. SURESH
PATIDAR SIR and our Batch Mentor , Dr. SUJATA
PARWANI MA'AM for providing us an opportunity
to work on this Field Project and for their constant
encouragement. It is a matter of pride and pleasure
to express my indebtedness towards them for keen
interest and constructive criticism at every stage of
this project work.
I would also like to thank all the respondents of my
survey whose responses were of immense help in
the preparation of this report.

Place - Indore
Date - December 5,2023 Student Signature -
Student __________
Name

Student Name -
S. DISHA PHERWANI
No Email Mobile No.

Student Roll No. -

IB-2K21-24
05
This project investigates the impact of the Atal
Indore City Transport Services Limited (AICTSL)
controlled transit system on urban mobility in
Indore and its people. Through a comprehensive
study, we analyze the effectiveness of enhancing
public transportation, reducing traffic congestion,
and improving overall urban mobility.

The research employs a mixed-method approach

combining surveys and data analysis of the
residents' transit patterns and other details to assess
the key factors influencing transit usage and its
implications for the city's transportation landscape.

It critically points out that fostering sustainable and

efficient urban mobility in any city is beneficial and
infact necessary for a variety of reasons. The findings
can thus have practical implications for policy -
makers, providing actionable recommendations to
enhance the city's transit infrastructure.

It concludes with a summary of key findings and the

way ahead.
06
1. "Indore City Bus : A Novel Experiment In Urban
Transport" By Anand Kumar Sharma and Anshul
Gupta - Indian Institute Of Management , Bangalore
https://www.greatlakes.edu.in/pdf/indoreCity.pdf

2. "Continuity & Change In Urban Transport

Development Arena - A Case Of Indore" By Yaksha
Chakrawarty - CEPT University , Ahmedabad
https://www.urbanmobilityindia.in/Upload/Confer
ence/d8286143-5a83-4103-80bd-
8724cbce53e2.pdf

3."Urban Mobility Trends In Indian Cities (Delhi ,

Lucknow , Indore , Guwahati , Bangalore) And Its
Implications" By 6 Co-Authors
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281307
262_Urban_Mobility_Trends_in_Indian_Cities_a
nd_Its_Implications

07
"Victory is the beautiful bright coloured flower.
Transport is the stem without which it could
never have blossomed."

- quotes Winston Churchill , former prime minister

of the United Kingdom.

From times unfathomable , there existed a necessity

to traverse between places for trade , cultural
exchange , entertainment etc. While in ancient times
, domesticated animals enabled such movement ,
progress has been made by way of switching to
carriages and chariots and later on to automobiles.

It can thus be inferred that transport was and

continues to remain a fundamental groundwork for
societal dynamics.

In essence , the need of transportation inter as well

as intra - city is multifaceted , affecting different
angles of day - to - day life , economic prosperity and
the overall well being of the masses.

08
 Continuous inventions and
upgradations over the bygone years
have led to the development of
following major sources by which
people can make intra - city
movement for various purposes :-

Personal Vehicles , such as car , scooters , e-scooters ,

cycling , walking short distances
etc
Ride Sharing , such as rickshaw / taxi or other ride
sharing through online applications or
withing one's social circle

Public Transport , such as subway / metro / bus

services / trams in related terrains

Such striking need of having a sound transport

system within any city is the predominant objective
behind this study ; wherein we will take up a single
domain of transportation modes available in any city
i.e "Public Transportation" and we dive deep into its
basic meaning , need , effectiveness and its
management in our own city - Indore with
the help of primary and secondary
information sources.
09
 Our main focus throughout the course of this report
would be to explore and analyse the multifaceted
complexities encountered by the city transport
department while providing services to the masses
and also by passengers while using them to some
extent.

More specifically, this study is centered around one

component of public transport – buses that operate
in Indore.
In doing so , we would be covering
the following major headpoints :-
▪︎Meaning and utility of public
transport in general and in particular
for our city

▪︎Problem Statement inclusive of the

issues identified during the field
visits conducted and also through some other sources

▪︎Analytical Statement consisting of scanning the

collected information and deriving results based upon
it

▪︎Possible suggestive solutions to the identifed problems

followed by conclusion
10
The wider objective of this study is to unravel key
issues faced in day-to-day city bus and ibus use and
operation in Indore ; both from passengers’ as well
as operator’s perspectives.

Additionally, the study will also be aimed at serving

the below outlined objectives :-

● Gaining a breif knowledge about the service

providers in this field.

● Finding out ways and means of improving bus

conditions so that people prefer using public
transport over private vehicles for their commuting
requirements. Over time this would address
problems such as decreasing air quality and
exploding traffic congestion in Indore.

● Trying to gauge level of user satisfaction with the

services currently being offered to them.

11
● Shedding light on the unexplored dimensions in
this sector through which we might be able to reduce
business costs. As a result, apart from the
government , the private sector would be attracted
towards it and economic growth of Madhya
Pradesh’s commercial capital can be stimulated.

● Gather and analyse user habits and preferences in

relation to our area of study.

12
1. Gathering a brief literature review of existing
literature on public mobility within similar urban
contexts.

2. Conducting discussions with relevant authorities

for credible information.

3. Undertaking observational study to assess the day

- to - day operations of public transport system on
different routes across different parameters.

4. Collecting data from users through a

questionnaire (Google Form Mode).

5. Analysis of the collected data through pie charts /

graphs.

6. Presentation of all information and deriving

conclusions based on it.

13
•The movement of people and the ease of it , within
urban areas is called 'Urban Mobility'.

•It encompasses a number of means like walking ,

cycling , private vehicles , public transport and new
age developments in transit such as electric
automobiles. Each mode has its own set of pros and
cons , efficiency , time involved , affordability and
accessibility being a few of them.

•We have already shed light upon how important

transport is for the overall smooth conduct of
business and other operations in any city . It serves
as a stepping stone for enhanced living standards ,
greater social inclusion , prosperity etc.

•PUBLIC TRANSIT , as one of the many modes of

urban mobility , is an even more attractive option
considering how it is capable of reducing traffic
congestion to a large extent
while being fuel efficient ,
sustainable and pocket
friendly at the same time.
14
Public Transit or Public Transportation refers to
such a system which is for use by general public .
Such services are generally made available in a PPP
model - by a collaboration of
public and private entities.

Author and scientist , Erol

Ozan has aptly quoted -

" You can't understand a

city without using its public transportation
system. "

It is characteristized by the following distinctive

features :-

Accessible : Public transportation services are most

distinctively known to be easily accessible to a wide
range of people , thereby promoting widespread
inclusion.

Affordable : Since government is the major

provider of public transportation services , the fares
15
are often quite low so that people from all income
groups can make use of it. This contributes in
reducing social gap .

Efficient : The ever expanding traffic in almost

every city nowadays is a serious issue in terms of
management efforts and time involved. Adding to
this is the problem of high and inefficient fuel
consumption. Public transportation combats these
issues.

Eco - friendly : Greater use of public transport

means less individual private vehicles. Thus , overall
carbon emissions are reduced and sustainability is
promoted.

16
The World Bank recommended that cities with
population of more than one million should have
urban bus Transport Corporation that owns 30
percent of its own buses and contracts 70 percent of
buses from private contractors and operators.

Motivated by this , Mr. Vivek Aggarwal, Collector

and District Magistrate, Indore conceptualized a
financial model of public transport system through
private partnership where in every player whether
Government, local administration, operators and
people are mutually benefited.

Looking to the high

potential for development
of competitive bus
transport market through
contracting , a public
limited company by the
name of AICTSL was formed with its own regulatory
and enforcement capabilities.

17
 The main source of revenue for this company is the
monthly premium amount received from bus
operators (daily fare box collection) , advertising
revenue and the revenue generated through
passes. These transactions are done through an
escrow account between the company , bank and
the operators.

The Atal Indore City transport services Ltd has

thus been incorporated under the Companies Act,
1956 to operate and manage the city's public
transport system with its registered office situated
at 30 Residency area , Indore.
The authorized capital of the company is Rs 25
lacs divided into 2.50 lacs equity shares of Rs. 10/-
each. The initial paid up capital of Rs. 25 lacs is
being held by the Indore Municipal Corporation
and Indore Development Authority in equal
proportion.

The main objects of the company are...

▪︎To create specialized and effective regulatory

agency to monitor cost effective and good public 18
transport services of Indore with private partnership.
▪︎To establish and maintain line of passenger coaches to
transport passengers.

▪︎To develop support system for improving transport

infrastructure.

The management of the company is entrusted with the

Board of Directors , who hold their office by virtue of
their posts.
They are as follows -

Designated Post Of Designation In AICTSL

Member

Mayor Of Indore Chairperson

Chairman Of IDA Vice - Chairperson
Collector Of Indore Director
Municipal Commissioner Managing Director

CEO Of IDA Director

Board meetings are held in presence of the bus

operators to satisfy their interests as well in company
decisions

19
My visit to a few bus stops and my interaction with
one of the e-bus conductors , Mr. VIKAS DUBEY
working in the buses deployed on the Silicon City
Route uncovered the following major problems faced
by them :-

• FARE EVASION -
Most often , passengers use unfair means and tricks
so that they can travel in public transport without
paying the bus fare. A few ways of doing so can be
-passengers complaining about lack of network
connectivity due to which they can't pay through
online modes and non - availability of cash with them
-standing on the extreme edge of bus doors so they
stay out of the bus conductor's reach and by the time
he reaches them , they can get off the bus
-using friends' or relatives' bus pass to travel which is
again not allowed
-threatening to lodge false complaint against
driver/conductor even though they are not at fault.

20
AICTSL is already a loss making public company.
Such dishonest behavior on part of the passengers
makes it even more difficult for them to provide the
top quality services to us.

• WASTEFUL FUEL
EXPENDITURE -
Almost all city buses
currently operational in
Indore are diesel based. This Silicon City E - Bus
Charging Station
fuel filling is done at a few (With Mr.Gaurav , route
coordinator at AICTSL )
places such as Rajiv Gandhi
and Vijay Nagar Depot while
the buses start from their
other designated routes.
Going to and fro in between these two junctions
unnecesarily consumes a lot of fuel.

By deploying more fuel filling stations at close places

this extra expense can be combated. However it needs
infrastructural support and strategic planning , which
is presently going on.

21
Next , I also paid a visit to the AICTSL Control Room
and had an insightful discussion with its incharge ,
Mr. SANDEEP TRIVEDI.
Following are the major obstacles as per him-

Mr. Sandeep Trivedi AICTSL Conference Room

•NON ACCEPTANCE BY PUBLIC-

The situation of public transport has improved a lot
over the years. However , the passengers are still quite
prejudiced about it - they are unwilling to give it a try.
One instance could be that although the number of
daily passengers is as high as 22469 , the number of
Chalo Application users are significantly low.
Chalo App is one among the many novel features
introduced and incorporated in our city's public
transit system which makes travelling much easier but
it can only bring effective results in the real sense
when the people are truly willing to use them rather
than simply disregarding it based on past experience.
22
•OBU THEFT -
All new city buses deployed in the city (M - Series) as
well as a few old buses (R-Series) have On Board Units
installed in them which facilitate two - way
communication between the buses and central control
room. This is especially useful during accident /
emergency situations to provide timely backup.
Such tasks become difficult
when the OBUs get stolen /
damaged and bus as well as
passenger safety is threatened
uptil its reinstallation.

•HIGH CAPITAL COST -

This is primarily because the optical fibre network
(needed to support Intelligent Transit Management
System) laid down along the 11.5km long ibus route in
the city is not being fully utilised.
Further , the old diesel run buses have now become
obsolete and orders have been issued to completely
stop their manufacture by 2026. Thus the new electric
buses cost substantially more (Rs 90lac per bus on am
average) with the present technological level.

23
The link connecting AICTSL - the apex managing
company and buses - the onfield service tools are the
private bus operators who manage the buses on behalf
of AICTSL on a tender basis.
Thus , one of my visits included talking to 2 bus
operators/vendore - Purple (Vijay Nagar) and Travel
Time (Dewas Naka).

Major issues pointed out by the

staff here were -
•Long working hours of bus
drivers and conductors ,
sometimes extending to even 12
hours a day

•Tracking whether or not the bus is following its

scheduled route or not and reasons for deviation, if any

•Ensuring the presence of all

amenities inside the buses in
functional state - including
GPS , CCTV , first aid kits , fire
extinguisher , OBU etc and if
absent , then arranging for it
in a timely manner.

24
Until now , our report was focused more around the
service providers and their problems.
Now to gain a consumer perspective , I prepared and
circulated a comprehensive questionnaire about user
experiences with Indore’s Public Transit System.

Its summarized results are as follows :-

25
As evident from the pie charts , the major respondents
of our survey were 20 - 30 year old females residing
permanently in Indore itself.

26
•Out of these respondents , more than half travel
between 5-10 kms on a daily basis and spend
approximately 30 -60 minutes for the same.

•Two most preferred modes of commute are personal

vehicles of the people and public transport.

•As high as 67.4% of the respondents claim to have

faced traffic congestion during their commute.
Thus , we can infer that traffic is a major issue faced
by the people.

One effort towards solving this can be increasing

public transport ridership which would automatically
reduce other personal vehicles on the roads.
27
•Out of these respondents , more than half travel
between 5-10 kms on a daily basis and spend
approximately 30 -60 minutes for the same.

•Two most preferred modes of commute are personal

vehicles of the people and public transport.

•As high as 67.4% of the respondents claim to have

faced traffic congestion during their commute.
Thus , we can infer that traffic is a major issue faced
by the people.

One effort towards solving this can be increasing

public transport ridership which would automatically
reduce other personal vehicles on the roads.
28
29
The next part of the questionnaire is centered around
people's preferences and decisions in relation to use of
public mobility services.30
In the final section , user opinions and suggestions
have been collected in order to work out plausible
solutions to the problems identifed.
31
32
Finally , as part of this survey , level of user awareness
was also gauged and their suggestions / opinions were
asked for.

33
A number of problems have been identifed during this
study . These problems attribute , not to one single
person or institution , but to the society as a whole.
Outlined below are a few measures by which we can
facilitate the betterment of our city's public transit
landscape :-

Bus Network Expansion :

There still exist a lot of areas such as small lanes or
secluded parts of the city where the bus services are
not adequately available. Extending coverage to such
areas and expanding the existing network to gradually
cover the entire city would be really effective.

Last Mile Connectivity :

Riderships can be increased
by reducing the distance
between bus stops and the
passenger's place of
residence/work etc. For this ,
bike ride services have been
introduced. Their use should
be promoted at a wider scale. MyBYK Riding Experience
34
Eco - Friendly Options :
People nowadays are becoming more and more aware
about their surroundings and thus , willingly adopt
such practices that are beneficial for our environment.
Presently , only 4 electric buses are operating in the
city. This number should be increased manifold to
promote sustainability among other benefits of a
public transit system.

Community Engagement :
User inputs about their specific needs and preferences
must be gathered and worked upon. This would
address their concers and improve quality of services
offered.
Besides this , public awareness campaigns that educate
the masses about the various kinds of facilities
available and their benefits can go a long way to in
persuading people to adopt public transit services.

Source : AICTSL Portal

35
Increasing vehicular density on the streets of Indore is
a major problem these days. This traffic congestion
not only leads to wastage of a lot of time and
environmental degradation but is also a source of
frustration and irritation for people.

Finding a permanent solution to this problem is the

need of the hour. The most effective solution is
already in practice since quite a few years now - public
mobility vehicles ; that carry a lot of people at a time
at a very low cost.

However it needs to be significantly improved in a lot

of ways so that more and more people make a shift
towards it.
A pressing need in this direction would be to fully
make use of eco - friendly modes.

Also , careful strategic planning needs to be done to

overall enhance the public transit experience in the
city such that it becomes the most preferred mode of
one's transportation , be it to-and-fro work or for
liesure etc.
36
In a nutshell , adopting a multifaceted approach for
finding and implementing the solutions to problems
faced can pave way for an efficient and effective
system if public transit.

Summarizing my personal
key experience of being a part
of this field project , it has
been a wonderful and
enriching ride that gifted me
with so many novel
perceptions about certain
things and also made me
realize that what seems to be
just a simple transport service
from one place to another ,
actually involves the collective
time and effort effort , a lot of
funds and a whole truckload of planning on a daily
basis to make it a success!

37
Despite the valuable insights gained from this study ,
a few of its inherent limitations must be taken care of
to ensure a nuanced interpretation of our findings.

▪︎The scope of this field project is limited to cities like

Indore - in difficult terrains or varying demographics ,
our conclusions would not hold true.

▪︎The findings of this study are based on data obtained

from a relatively few number of people. It is not
representative of the entire population due to which
the results derived may not be diverse enough.

▪︎Their are a lot of external variables such as political

factors , technological level etc beyond our control .
Their effect on the different dimensions of our study
have not been taken into consideration.

38
Public transport is like a magnifying glass that shows
you civilization up close.
There can never be an end to what may be thought
and implemented in the future. Therefore , there is
always a compelling scope for further study in any
realm.

Here are a few of the many avenues not taken up in

our study :-

▪︎On paper , the current public mobility servives are

told to be quite safe. However , its preparedness and
crisis handling must be thoroughly assessed.

▪︎Deficiencies can be found out in the present system

be comparing it against national and global
benchmarks. Favourable strategies can then be
adopted by us.

▪︎We have already begun the Smart City Movement.

Such potential exists even in public transit sector in
the form of smart bus stops , use of sensors etc.
39
http://www.citybusindore.com/

https://www.greatlakes.edu.in/pdf/indore
City.pdf

https://www.urbanmobilityindia.in/Uploa
d/Conference/d8286143-5a83-4103-
80bd-8724cbce53e2.pdf

https://www.researchgate.net/publication
/281307262_Urban_Mobility_Trends_in
_Indian_Cities_and_Its_Implications

https://chalo.com/indore

40
41
42
43
44
45
46
A few initiatives by the Indore Municipal Corporation
to improve public mobility in the city.

47
 Visitor Bus Pass issued by the
AICTSL which was really helpful
for me to conduct the field visits
throughout the project.

Some recent news related to

my area of study which was
referred to while preparing the
report.

48
THE END