The Minister Releases India’s first ease of Mobility Index

Newdelhi:1/11/18:Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping, Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Shri Nitin Gadkari has reiterated the Government’s commitment for promoting transport innovations that are pollution free and cost effective, and bring about import substitution. Underscoring the need to cut down congestion and resultant pollution in cities, he expressed hope that the government’s vision and efforts for building a safe and efficient public transport system in the country would motivate people to shift from personal to public transport.

Shri Gadkari was speaking at an event in New Delhi today, where he released India’s first Ease of Mobility Index 2018. The Index offers a source of information to aid transit agencies and urban planners to make informed decisions and align solutions with the preference of commuters. The report has been prepared by Ola Mobility Institute – Ola’s research and social innovation arm.

The Minister informed that the government is exploring the use of new kinds of vehicles like hybrid aeroboats that combine land, water and aviation technology and can run on land, water and air at speeds greater than 80 km per hour. He said the government is looking at the possibility of using these boats during Kumbh Mela next year and on Yamuna for a visit to Taj Mahal from Delhi.

The Ease of Moving Index, 2018 has found that overall, 80 per cent of citizens believe that the transport ecosystem has improved over the last five years. 60 per cent of respondents report using public modes of commute, signalling that integrating modes of first and last mile connectivity with mass transport could lead to improved usage. In fact, 72 per cent of the respondents believe that this integration could lead to an improved public transport ecosystem. A majority of Indians are willing to adopt electric mobility and are in agreement that electrification will reshape the transportation segment. 75 per cent of respondents believe that electric vehicles could replace conventional vehicles by 2030. Additionally, results indicate that urban mobility is going digital with 55 per cent of commuters who use public transport owning smart cards, and over 40 per cent transact digitally while using public transport including Intermediary Public Transport.