UP ushers in PPP model in urban transport

To spruce up urban transportation and decongest city roads, the Uttar Pradesh government will usher in public-private partnership (PPP) model in seven major cities of the state.

Steps are also being taken to set up a dedicated Urban Transport Fund. The state government targets running over 1,300 buses in the first phase.

Under the project, Special purpose vehicles (SPVs) have been formed and the process for their registration is on. Later, a holding company will run all these SPVs.

According to the state infrastructure development department, the government had also appointed Urban Mass Transit Company Limited as consultant for the project and it had already prepared a detailed report in this regard.

In the first phase, this PPP model is being introduced in Lucknow, Allahabad, Varanasi, Kanpur, Meerut, Agra and Mathura. While, Agra and Mathura will have a common SPV, other cities will have separate SPVs for managing the city transport.

While, 300 buses each would be run in Lucknow and Kanpur, Agra was to get 200 buses and Meerut 60, UPSRTC operations chief P K Srivastava told Business Standard.

The project is being spearheaded by UP State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) in collaboration with Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). The idea is to provide cheap city transport to commuters and check the plying of private vehicles to control vehicular emission.

The respective divisional commissioners have been authorised to finalise the routes. The document to invite bids from private parties is being prepared. Bus stops in these towns will also be built under the PPP model.

For effective implementation, separate committees headed by the respective divisional commissioners have been set up, of which the respective UPSRTC assistant regional managers will work as ex-officio secretaries.

Earlier, the buses in these cities were being jointly run by UPSRTC and the urban development department.