Question

From conventional transport, India can leapfrog to a shared, electric, and connected mobility future, with huge energy savings. Illustrate this statement with different government initiatives

Answer 1

Approach:

• The intro part discusses problems of the transport system with examples.
• Discuss about issues in the transport system of the country.
• Discuss about the possible solution for an efficient and smart transport system.
• Provide appropriate conclusion

India has witnessed a rapid growth in the number of motor vehicles, from a mere 5.4 million in 1981 to 210 million in 2015. This furious pace of motorization has led to severe traffic congestion and air pollution, adversely impacting the well-being of the people, the energy security of the country, and the economic efficiency of cities.

In such a situation , carpooling, Multi modal transport system and electric mobility is necessary for smart and efficient transportation systems.

Issues in transport system of the country:
1. Faulty Planning of Transport System: There is a huge burden on road and rail network of the country. Penetration of alternative routes like Inland waterways and metro is very less in the country. In metro city there is a lack of fast and adequate public transport system. This deficiency leads to an explosion of personal transport (own vehicles) which puts extra pressure on roads and cause jams and accidents.
2. Lack of Rail Road Coordination: Rail and Road transport systems are the main means of transportation in a country. These two should work in coordination. Generally, it is not so e.g. In 1951, the share of road transport in freight traffic and passenger traffic was 11% and 26% respectively. But in present days its share is 60% and 80% respectively.
3. Poor Infrastructure: There is a huge deficit in Urban infrastructure. It causes problems of congestion and pollution in Urban areas.

Ways to improve smart and efficient transportation system:
1. Improving the transport Infrastructure : The Government has come up with numerous initiatives ranging from Make in India, FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles), Green Mobility Fund, and Smart Cities, to the recently announced projects in high speed mobility, namely high speed trains and the proposed ‘Hyperloop’ connectivity to improve the transport infrastructure of the country.

2. National Transport Master Plan : It aims to provide seamless movement of freight and passengers across multiple modes of transport.

3. Promotion of Electric mobility infrastructure : To promote electric vehicles (EVs) in public transport and seeks to encourage adoption of electric vehicles( EVs) by way of market creation and demand aggregation Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles(FAME) scheme was launched in India. With promotion of Electric mobility, India could save 64 per cent energy by 2030. It will also help in drop in consumption of Petrol and diesel. There will be a significant drop in carbon dioxide emissions. So, Electric mobility will help in huge Energy Savings.

4. The Green Urban Transport Scheme (GUTS) seeks to encourage growth of urban transport along low carbon paths and provide a sustainable framework for funding urban mobility projects with minimum recourse.

5. Technology-driven solutions: Technology driven solutions will help in real-time analysis of public transportation routes and traffic patterns.IT-enabled smart traffic management and smart transportation solutions can prove to be game-changers. For instance, a GPS-based system will prove to be immensely helpful for people who use public buses.

Way Forward:
Transportation must be considered the collective responsibility of all stakeholders. A smart transportation system involving GPS and digital technologies such as Cloud-based services, Big Data and Analytics, and Internet of Things (IoT) will be at the core for smart and efficient transportation systems.