BKC No-Car Day sees muted response as private vehicles continue to dominate

BKC traffic remains routine despite MMRDA`s Public Transport Day drive (Pic/Sarthak Mehta)

The first Public Transport Day on Friday, an MMRDA initiative, may not have received a positive response, as per the commuters who are aware of the usual ridership.

Midday observed the footfall at Bandra Railway Station East and the nearby bus stand from 9:30 to 10:00 am on Friday. The crowd seemed no more than what is usually seen. A few commuters were lined up waiting for BEST buses, while the majority were seen catching a shared rickshaw.

Shortly after, we captured numerous private vehicles along with a few buses moving towards BKC G block from the bridge near the Aqua Line BKC metro. The nearest exit of the BKC metro station towards BKC G Block had a light footfall. Metro commuters shared that the ridership was just like usual, if not less. "I am yet to hear if any of my numerous colleagues who prefer private vehicles have ditched it and opted in to the initiative," said a banker whose office is in BKC.

Commuter voices:

Prathmesh Shinde, Metro Commuter: "I have my office in BKC; I regularly take the Aqua Line metro from Grant Road to BKC. I had received a notification from the ‘Mumbai One' app about the Public Transport Day, so I was aware, but in my observation today, the ridership seemed lower than most days; I'm not sure why, when it should have been otherwise considering the initiative."

Abhishek Singh, Commuter, "My client's office is in BKC; I commute to it regularly. Till Bandra station, I come by train, and then I take a shared auto because bus timings aren't reliable and autos can be found readily. I didn't see any overcrowding today due to the public transport day; the crowd is the same as it usually is."

Anshuman Pani, Commuter: "My office is in BKC; I come by train daily." I didn't find any surge as such in train ridership on Friday. The crowd was how it usually is."

Volunteers from WRI NGO and MMRDA promoted the initiative on the ground across 9 locations:

• BDB Bus stop
• Family court bus stop
• Bharat Nagar bus stop
• BKC Metro A1
• BKC Metro A3
• BKC Metro bus stop
• Kurla Railway Station
• Bandra Railway Station
• Sion Railway Station

Volunteer Voices:

A WRI associate: "WRI regularly supports causes towards sustainability. We are here with college students who have volunteered to promote this sustainable initiative; we greeted commuters across around 9 spots from 8:45 to 10:30 in the morning and 5 to 7 in the evening.

Naitik Gore, Student, Hiray College, "Feeling good volunteering towards the cause, we are here to raise awareness of the public as well as thank those who are using public transport."

Grishma Sawant, Hiray College: "I am here as a volunteer, promoting this cause I support - increased use of public transport will lead to fewer private vehicles on roads, ultimately helping the environment."