The BMTC has 6,149 buses now compared to over 6,400 in 2012. | Photo Credit: K_MURALI_KUMAR more-in The four-day strike by drivers of taxi aggregators have given a glimpse of how dependent the city has become on cabs over the past three years. Since March 2013, when the first ride-hailing apps and cabs were introduced, the number of taxis has shot up by nearly 180%. A majority of the new additions were attached to taxi aggregators, such as Ola and Uber, believe transport experts. By the end of 2016, there were nearly 84,000 cabs, compared to around 30,700 in March 2013. This increase far eclipses the 45% growth of non-transport private vehicles (which occupy the bulk of the city’s roads) during this period, shows data from the Transport Department. H.S. Sudhira, a researcher with Gubbi Labs, is for encouraging app-based taxi services. “They encourage car pooling and have significantly reduced the number of private vehicles on the road,” he explained. Cabs eat into autorickshaw segment The proliferation of cabs seems to be at the expense of autorickshaws. While the number of cabs increased by leaps and bounds, the growth of autorickshaws has seen a consistent dip. Between March 2013 and 2014, the addition of autos was 9.4%. This fell to 6.8% in 2016. By December 2016, the number of autorickshaws was 1.7 lakh. Autorickshaw unions attribute the dip to app-based taxi services. “The incentives and returns are much more in these apps, prompting many drivers to shift away from autos,” said Meenakshi Sundaram, president of CITU affiliated Autorickshaw Drivers Union. Experts stress on BMTC While private cabs are booming, public transport seems to be on the decline. The drop in number of buses, say experts, is pushing many towards the ‘more reliable’ cab aggregators. In the past four days, when a majority of the app-based taxi services stayed off the roads, commuters were left scampering for an alternative mode of transport. The BMTC has 6,149 buses compared to over 6,400 in 2012. The number of routes — 6,107 — is the lowest in four years. “Clearly, the number of buses is not enough when compared to the population. The low frequency and insufficient services at night will definitely push people towards taxis. For example, it is difficult to get a bus from Shivaji Nagar bus terminus after 9 p.m.,” says Vinay Srinivasa of Bus Prayanikara Vedike. But more than increasing the number of buses, some experts want the existing services to be equally distributed across the city. “The schedules and routes should be scientifically studied and implemented. This would ensure that the frequency of buses is proper and all areas are covered,” explained H.S. Sudhira, from Gubbi Labs, a private research collective. In the past, BMTC officials have cited paucity of funds for not replacing its ageing fleet. However, they hope to rationalise the usage of buses through their Intelligent Transport System. Cabs vs Autos

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