App based shared mobility and it's impacts: a case of Bengaluru

Abstract

Since a long time, the normative ideal of mode of consumption had always been ownership, given the advantages it offers: a means of capital accumulation, sense of independence, security and flexibility of use including reselling the commodity. However, in recent times ownership became precarious owing to various social, economic and political changes the world has gone through in the past decades. This gave rise to the concept of ‘Shared Economy’, which found its way into the transportation sector in the form of Shared Mobility. Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) emerged as disrupted mobility and impacted not just the public transit but the way people look at private car ownership as well. These very impacts of App-based Shared Mobility, Uber to be precise, have been analysed in this study of Bengaluru municipal corporation-BBMP. For the purpose of study, 25 major routes connecting 5 CBDs to 5 major residential areas were selected. The change in mode choice for daily work/education trips and recreational trips after the inception of App-based Shared Mobility services were analysed along with the factors which lead people towards their preferred mode choice. The factors leading to shift of mode choice from public transit to App-based Shared Mobility was further looked into by comparing the Public Transport Accessibility Level map of BBMP with the Uber-trip generation and attraction trends (2016-18). Further, Uber and public buses were compared on the grounds of fare charged, waiting time, and travel time on those 25 major routes. The change brought about by these services on public transit (bus and metro) and on the attitude of seeing car ownership as a status symbol was calculated and forecasted to prove the potential impact it can have on mode share in the coming years. Also, the issue of extreme congestion was highlighted by calculating the Travel Time Index of the 25 routes. Moreover, the economic and environmental cost incurred due to congestion was found in the form of the additional fuel cost and the cost of additional petrol emissions per kg. By highlighting the economic and environmental loss occurring at these major routes, recommendations were drawn to improve the traffic conditions on them which will save a huge amount of resources, presently going down the drain on a daily basis.