Mid-Day test drive: Why BKC's no-car day is a non-starter

Office-goers walk through BKC amid heavy traffic and humid weather conditions. Pics/Satej Shinde

As the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) rolls out its voluntary "Public Transport Day" initiative in the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) every Friday, a mid-day ground test found that poor last-mile connectivity, long walks in the heat, and infrequent BEST bus services continue to pose challenges for commuters travelling to the city's premier business district.

A test conducted on foot and using available public transport options between the BKC Metro station and five major office destinations found that while Metro connectivity has improved access to the district, reaching offices from the station can still involve long walks, wait times of nearly 20 minutes for buses.

What is Public Transport Day?

Every Friday, MMRDA is encouraging employees, professionals and government staff working in BKC to commute using:
>> Metro services
>> Suburban railways
>> BEST buses

Objective
>> Reduce traffic congestion
>> Lower vehicular emissions
>> Promote public transport usage

Participation
>> The initiative is voluntary

A crowded BEST bus inside BKC during evening peak hours. Commuters reported long waits and limited availability of seats

BEST gears up

To manage increased commuter demand, BEST will deploy officers at Bandra and Kurla stations during morning peak hours and at BKC in the evening to monitor passenger loads and arrange additional services if required.

By the numbers

>> 16 routes in BKC
>> 125 buses currently serving the business district
>> 4 lakh passengers served
>> 2 lakh office-goers among daily commuters
>> 33 buses on 4 feeder routes connecting Bandra and Kurla stations to BKC

Metro station to ICICI Tower: A mid-day reporter walks from BKC Metro station towards ICICI Tower during a ground test of last-mile connectivity in business district. The walk covered nearly 1 km and took over 12 minutes. Pics/Satej Shinde

What BEST plans

>> Operate all scheduled BKC-bound services
>> Deploy bus inspectors along routes to monitor demand
>> Divert buses from other routes if required
>> Keep additional buses ready from the Dharavi and Kurla depots
>> Prepare further deployment plans based on on-ground observations on Friday

Metro station to NSE: A mid-day reporter walks from BKC Metro station towards NSE

Timeline: What mid-day saw

4.36 pm: Walk begins from the BKC Metro station.
4.41 pm: Heat and humidity become noticeable.
5.00 pm: onwards Pedestrian movement increases across BKC.
Around 6 pm: Large numbers of office-goers head towards the Metro station.

The walk from the BKC Metro station to the RBI

By 6 pm:
>> Bus stops become crowded
>> Queues form for BEST buses
>> Several buses arrive already full
>> Boarding becomes difficult due to limited vacant seats

The farthest walk this reporter took was from ‘One BKC' to ‘Aqua line BKC metro', a 15-minute walk after the workday ended, and it was slightly exhausting. But there are areas in BKC that are easily a 20-25-minute walk from the nearest metro or local station, and, according to commuters, this last mile is the most challenging part of their day after a tiring workday or to begin their day and work at office exhausted.

Metro station to the Collector's office: A mid-day reporter heads towards the Office of the Suburban District Collector during a test of public transport accessibility in BKC. The office is located about 570 metres from the nearest Metro station

Organisations joining initiative

1. Bharat Diamond Bourse
2. SEBI Chief Security Coordinator Colonel Gopinath K H
3. Insurance Institute of India
4. Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI)
5. Association of Members of G Block BKC Mumbai

Metro station to One BKC: The walk towards One BKC, one of the longest routes in the test, required commuters to cover around 1.36 km from Metro station

Official speak

Dr Sanjay Mukherjee, Metropolitan Commissioner, MMRDA
‘On Friday, in a first-of-its-kind initiative, MMRDA, along with WRI, has launched a Weekly Public Transport Day to be observed every Friday. A small change like choosing public transport one day a week can bring incremental benefits to our city.' As part of the initiative, MMRDA employees have been asked to use public transport on Fridays.

Directional maps and wayfinding signage inside Bandra-Kurla Complex help pedestrians navigate

Voices from commuters

Sampath Iyengar, Regular BKC commuter
‘Exhausted office-goers have a reason for preferring private transport because the last-mile connectivity is very bad. Reaching the BKC Metro station is currently either a long wait for buses or a 20-minute walk after a long day.'

Brijesh Modi,Commuter
‘Have you arranged for special buses from the Metro 3 station to the main BKC? Any other special arrangements made for public transport? I seem to have missed the arrangements made by MMRDA tomorrow so that we all can take public transport.'

Reuben Canday, Commuter
‘I think this initiative won't see much success as public transport are already overcrowded on normal days. This is what causes commuters to move towards personal cars and cabs. I would personally avoid the public transport even more on the day [Friday- Public Transport Day] because, naturally, it is going to be even more overcrowded than on normal days.'