NEC

Road transport accounts for over 75% of all goods transported over land. Given the growth anticipated for India, transport demand will increase in line with GDP and trade growth. Even a conservative estimate might result in close to 30% increase in transport activity in the next 20 years. All transport modes will therefore need to increase their supply, efficiency and environmental performance, and to work together in a complementary way. Eninrac consulting was engaged by a client to conduct a user experience (UX) market research for public transport.

What was the study about?

To learn about the user experience of public transportation

The client wishes to understand the state of public transport (BRTS/MRTS/any other etc.) in Ahmedabad, NCR & Bangalore coupled with a deep dive voice of consumer survey to understand the user experience of public transport in the respective cities. The survey revolved around distinct locations across the desired cities to understand the notion of different category of commuters and their preferred mode of transportation. Also, it was important to learn the feasibility of common card being used for transportation and opinions about “one nation one card” were also collected.

Focus areas of the study

The objective of the was to understand the feasibility of introducing a common mobility card system

The prime objective of this engagement was to learn want commuters anticipates from a hassle free & sustainable public transportation system. What are the key concerns they typically face while commuting through different modes of public transport, what will be their adaptability towards a common mobility card & how it can be feasible.

Eninrac’s approach for the study

To cater to the client’s requirements, a sample size of approximately 1000 commuters from each city was targeted

To conduct the survey,  a detailed questionnaire of 25 questions was prepared under the categories below –

1. Demography – age group , working/nonworking class, students
2. Travel frequency
3. Preferred mode of public transport
4. Average monthly spend on public transport
5. Inter city/intra city travel
6. Current usage of any travel pass/metro card/any other (whichever applicable)

Key findings

Key findings of the survey for Ahmedabad

1. Amongst the key finding ‘cost’ is a vital determining factor which governs the choice for mode of transport by the commuters. Further, the discount margins offered also is as important for people who are regular commuters.
2. Most of the respondents opted for insufficient frequency of operation and insufficient network as the main issues for the public transport segment to address especially for BRTS and AMTS network.
3. For close to 93% respondents who use Janmitra card the monthly spent was less than INR. 2000 clearly indicating that cost was main factor which determined the choice to use it and hence, the discount allied to its usage was also preferred by the commuters.
4. Although, BRTS and AMTS still standout in terms of public transportation even for working class, the shift is in place with the advent of Ola/Uber from early 2017. Also, main competition in future facing up the BRTS & AMTS shall be Metro (MEGA) and hence the desired improvements indicated by commuters are required for sustainability of BRTS and AMTS. Also, the availability of Janmitra card has to improve and the awareness among the commuters for its multiple usage holds the key for more penetration. It is also striking to notice that close to 52% of the overall respondents use BRTS as preferred way to commute for their regular routes, given the punctuality it offers.