THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Cycle, bike, autorickshaw, car, bus, train, ship - all these modes of transportation easily accessible for a single trip. Modeled after the cities Paris, Hong Kong, Seoul and London. Saves time and money. More people will rely on public transport. This was the main proposal in the Integrated Transport Act passed by the Legislative Assembly. Two-and-a-half years after the bill was passed, the plan is lying dormant on file. After the law was passed, the Department of Motor Vehicles prepared a draft report suggesting that Kerala should also have a system connecting road, rail, and water transport and submitted it to the government, but it was also shelved.

When the bill was passed in November 2020, the aim was to implement the first phase in Kochi and the second phase in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode cities. The Transport Authority was constituted under the chairmanship of the Minister of Transport to implement a comprehensive plan to enable all modes of transport to be used through a single rechargeable card. The first meeting was held in November 2020 and the office was opened in Kochi. However, the proceedings ended there. Although a system of combining multiple journeys in a single ticket was prepared last February, that too did not materialize. The plan was to use autos, taxi cars and tempo vans as feeder services to ferry passengers to KSRTC buses. It was also decided to introduce an online platform and a unified ticket system for this, but no further action was taken. These moves were to attract more passengers to the public transport system.

The transport department estimates that 65 lakh passengers who used to depend on KSRTC and private sector buses in the state have switched from public transport to private vehicles in the last 10 years. If public transport is not strengthened, traffic congestion and blocks will worsen and the accident rate will rise. To avoid this, a coordinated plan between the public and private sectors is essential. However, the eagerness shown to collect fines from those who do not obey the traffic rules by installing cameras is not shown in this case.

Key recommendations in the draft report

1. A Land Transport Authority should be formed to coordinate and regulate the public-private sector.
2. There should be long-distance buses connecting major cities and short-distance buses coordinating with their arrival and departure.
3. Small vehicles should be arranged for passengers of long-distance buses to reach remote areas.
4. There should be a GPS-based intelligent transport system to coordinate public transport.
5. Apart from online ticket booking, season ticket and smart card, concessions should be given to regular passengers.