MMRDA launches 'Weekly Public Transport Day' in BKC to ease traffic and congestion

MMRDA launches `Weekly Public Transport Day` (Pic/Special arrangement)

In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) on Saturday, June 6 launched a ‘Weekly Public Transport Day' every week for the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), encouraging the area's nearly two lakh workforce to commute using public or shared transport every Friday.

The initiative, launched in association with WRI India on the occasion of World Environment Day, is aimed at reducing traffic congestion, lowering carbon emissions, and promoting sustainable urban mobility in Mumbai's premier commercial hub.

The announcement was made during a high-level roundtable attended by senior government officials, transport agencies, corporate leaders, and mobility experts, who adopted a joint resolution to encourage organisations and employees across BKC to embrace public transport for their weekly commute.

The campaign aligns with PM Modi's appeal to use maximum public transport for commuting

The campaign aligns with PM Modi's appeal for greater use of public transport and the Maharashtra government's policy encouraging state employees and senior officials to use metro, suburban rail, or bus services at least once a week.

Speaking at the event, Dr Sanjay Mukherjee, Metropolitan Commissioner of MMRDA, said BKC has the potential to become a national model for sustainable urban mobility.

"BKC is one of India's most important business districts and has the potential to demonstrate how collective action can transform urban mobility. Nearly two lakh professionals commute to BKC every day from across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Even a modest shift towards public transport and shared mobility can significantly reduce congestion, improve travel efficiency, lower emissions, and enhance quality of life," he said.

MMRDA urges people to use public transport every Friday

Mukherjee also announced that he and the entire MMRDA team have pledged to use public transport on Fridays and encourage sustainable commuting practices within the organisation.

BKC, which houses around two lakh formal jobs and a similar number of informal jobs, is one of the country's largest business hubs. It is home to nearly 75 per cent of companies listed on the BSE Sensex and half of the firms in the Nifty 50 index.

Mobility studies presented during the roundtable highlighted the need for such an initiative. According to the findings, 52 per cent of commuters currently rely on private vehicles, taxis, and auto-rickshaws, while only 25 per cent use public transport for their daily journeys to BKC.

The study also found that more than half of commuters spend over two hours travelling every day, while nearly one in five spend more than three hours commuting.

Traffic congestion, inadequate first-and-last-mile connectivity, and limited transport options were identified as the major challenges faced by commuters. However, the survey also revealed strong public support for sustainable mobility, with 82 per cent of respondents indicating they would switch to public transport if services became more reliable, comfortable, and convenient.

Enhanced connectivity for public commute

The initiative comes at a time when BKC is witnessing significant improvements in public transport infrastructure. The operational Metro Line 3 has already enhanced connectivity to parts of the business district, while the upcoming Metro Lines 2B and 4 are expected to place almost the entire BKC area within one kilometre of a metro station.

During the discussions, participants proposed several measures to encourage greater use of public transport, including enhanced feeder bus services, improved pedestrian facilities, better integration with the Mumbai One platform, dedicated auto-rickshaw zones near transit hubs, and corporate incentive programmes for employees who opt for sustainable travel.

Representatives from the MMRDA, MMRC, MMMOCL, BEST Undertaking, Mumbai Traffic Police, leading corporates in BKC and members of the BKC Moves Collective participated in the event and reaffirmed their commitment to promoting sustainable urban transport.

Officials further said that the ‘BKC Weekly Public Transport Day' initiative could emerge as a national template for collaboration between government agencies, transport operators, and businesses to create cleaner, less congested, and more sustainable business districts across India.