Why Delhi Bus Rapid Transit Failed

India's First Bus Rapid Transit System (BRT) was built in Delhi with the cost of ₹150 Crore. But it was closed quickly within 8 years due to opposition from public and issues in operating.
Written & Narrated by: Mayank Narang
Edited by: Arpit Anand
Music: Storyblocks

Video Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:50 History & Blueline Buses
3:40 Delhi BRT
6:20 Mistakes & Lessons
8:10 Other BRTs
9:40 Delhi Urban Design

[Lastlyy]

India's First Bus Rapid Transit System (BRT) was built in Delhi with the cost of ₹150 Crore. But it was closed quickly due to opposition from public and issues in operating.

[anirudhkulkarni]

Chigari BRTS of Hubballi in Karnataka has a daily ridership of 1Lakh, which is more than few metros in India, this proves that proper planning and implementation is important.

[deepakdas]

Well researched video.

I was in 10th when the BRTS in Delhi was introduced. During the initial days, there was no lane discipline, Delhi’s car and bike riders were shocked that Buses, cycles and pedestrians were given priority. And their vehicle took 1 hr to cross a 6km stretch.

The people who made a fuss about it were mostly the private car owners, who had more agency to protest. People who benefitted were from EWS and LIG groups, who didn’t own cars, and many those who lived in south Delhi. They had access to good bus services, in the early morning and in the evening one could see a sea of bi-cycle riders safely commuting. This made car owners unhappy.

For a decade the bicycle lanes photographs near Jahapanha forest were used in transport planning reports as “best practices”.

Yes, there were faults, the lane widths were less, there were no adequate separations for lanes, anyone could jaywalk anywhere, and the bus stops were open. And, the stretch was very small to judge a public transit. These could have been rectified.

Bus services are not only cost-effective but are flexible. As a city core can shift in 50 years, the bus services seem for feasible in comparison to the metro.

But the damage was done, the media made it a hyper issue and gained hiked TRP, and we lost good service.

[obitooo]

I guess, delhi metro not only best transit system of delhi but also the best transit system of country

[_tsu_]

A city like Delhi needs a full on metro with 6 car rakes running every other minute. BRTS is for smaller cities like Hubballi. I have used in Hubballi and it's great but definitely does not have a place in a city as dense and big as Delhi.

[archit]

DTC bus network in Delhi is even bigger than DMRC. There are multiple places in Delhi in which buses can freely move but metro can't.
However, it is highly unreliable and unsafe for passengers.

[OmkarChand-ndww]

Mo bus in bhubaneswar is truly marvelous!!
It makes going to any part of the city really easily

[PremGupta-qiwg]

I've visited multiple countries, and almost all of them had dedicated bus lanes and proper stops. It's disheartening that India lacks a robust bus system. Even in Delhi, there are no proper bus stops, live tracking, or dedicated lanes. Relying solely on metros for public transport will never ensure last-mile connectivity. If buses were more reliable and user-friendly, many people would happily switch from private cars to public transport.

[A-sr]

I guess that Hubbali's BRT is one of the best system in India, please make a video on it if possible :)

[chowdhary]

I live and study in Europe, Latvia to be exact and we have riga buses where they have dedicated bus lanes with markings. If a car tries to enter the lane they might get a challan (might because some sections have cameras installed) and people have civic sense here they know bus lanes are for buses and the result is buses are always on time. They have time tables for all public transport in city and they are on time +-1/2 minutes. Moreover to promote ev cars the government here allowed ev cars to use all bus lanes and they can bypass traffic and people are adopting more and more

[veenagupta]

Amazing... Ur videos are always knowledgeable... Came to know about such topics which we were not even aware of. Keep it up

[manoj]

Ahmedabad BRTS is much better, efficient and well connectivity.
Ahmedabad have much better transportation with Metro, BRTS, munipical corporation buses, cycles.

[Vought.International]

Brt system in bhopal is already closed and indore is going to close soon by state government

[FatBikerVaibhav]

Brt was so confusing, i wasnt from that area and 2-3 baar i accidently went into bus lane

[ccx]

1 word "CERTAINTY"
Metro gives Certainty that Its coming in 2mins via its displays

Bus stops or even apps just shows scheduled timing not the actual timing of when it's going to arrive,

If we know that something is certain in 10min with its position like we see on Uber app, blinkit we Wait 3X longer compared to No information at all

[charchitrawat]

I don’t why I love Delhi metro more than brt system

[sss]

I think Ahmedabad BRTS is most successful & well planned & well Ahmedabad BRTS is biggest brts network in the country.

Plus at many places it interconnected with metro, indian railway, State transport Stops & normal City buses & even Ahmedabad airport, and now also connected with future bullet train project.

I tried Surat, Rajkot, Indore brts but Ahmedabad BRTS network is very huge, almost cover all main parts of both new & old City areas. Quite seamless & punctual. Good thing is around 75/80 % buses are EV buses.

[mohitshrivastava]

I have travelled across multiple cities, but the best brts network i have seen is in surat. Amazing network and people following the lane usage rules.

[kushmehta]

Make one video on Ahmedabad brts please

[TLH_]

I travelled in INDORE BRTS... It's very fast, efficient and cheaper than other modes of transport