01626001

Component

The Intermediate Public Transport (IPT) sector, comprising of auto-rickshaw and taxi services, plays an important role in the urban transport system in Indian cities. This sector has been undergoing a major transformation in India in recent years, driven by technological change and new business models. From a largely unorganized sector, with services being provided by individual owner-operators, it has seen the entry of formal companies (fleet taxis) engaged in the provision of city taxi services, and mobile app-based services provided by technology aggregators. This paper presents an assessment of regulations in this evolving context, looking at current regulatory framework and areas of regulation, how regulators have responded to market disruptions, issues that continue to exist in the sector from a regulatory standpoint, and a way forward in terms of key reform areas which can enable the sector to maximize benefits for all stakeholders in this era of rapid transformation. The key findings of this study include the following: i) In a highly regulated sector, the transformation brought about by the entry of new services has increased the complexities of regulation, with often differing viewpoints between stakeholders ii) Key gaps continue to exist in current regulations, in areas such as permits, driver licensing, fares, and company licensing, which are affecting quality of service, and creating unfair competition, and iii) Key regulatory reform areas include building institutional capacity, uniform licensing framework across States, rationalization of permits, uniformity in fare regulation, and reforms in driver licensing, which if implemented can provide benefits to all the stakeholders.

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AP020 Standing Committee on Emerging and Innovative Public Transport and Technologies. Alternate title: Assessment of Regulations in India's Evolving Intermediate Public Transport Sector

01618707

17-06171

English

17p

2017

Transportation Research Board 96th Annual Meeting

Digital/other

Figures; References; Tables

Driver licensing; Regulations; Regulatory reform; Rickshaws; Stakeholders; Taxi services; Urban transportation

Intermediate transit solutions

India

Law; Policy; Public Transportation

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2017 Paper #17-06171

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Dec 8 2016 12:30PM