<p>A citizen welfare initiative hopes to find and highlight the gaps in Bengaluru’s public transport system. </p>.<p>Oorvani Foundation announced the Citizens Commute Project in April. It hopes to encourage and equip citizens with the tools to create a positive change. The Foundation was set up with the intention of addressing civic issues commonly faced by citizens and giving them a chance to play a role in solving the problems.</p>.<p>“Public transport has a direct impact on a city’s livability and sustainability. So we felt it was important to focus on it and take stock of the quality of our public transport system, the glitches, problem areas and obstacles,” says Satarupa Bhattacharya, program director, adding that a key objective of the initiative is to encourage more people to use public transport to commute. “Lack of adequate and effective last-mile connectivity continues to be one of the main factors for underutilisation of public transport,” she states.</p>.<p>From mid-May until mid-June, her team of reporters and volunteers will visit metro stations and bus stands to gather information from commuters who use the services extensively and across long distances. “We hope to talk to roughly 15-20 people along each metro line,” she reveals.</p>.Namma Metro commuters seek better grievance redressal.<p>In addition, the Foundation will also consult its WhatsApp community, titled Oorvani Change Network, which has over 500 active citizen members across various groups. “The volunteers will ask commuters about how the metro or bus changed their lives, what would encourage them to use it more often, etc,” Satarupa shares. The team is also considering a bus stop audit. Members of the groups will visit one or two bus shelters each in their neighbourhood to report on the condition of the shelters and how they can be improved. </p>.<p>Apart from Namma Metro and BMTC, the project will also take into consideration the much-delayed Bangalore Suburban Rail Project or K-Ride, primarily to figure out how to tackle the problem of deadlines that are constantly pushed back. At the end of the survey, Oorvani will host a talk and workshop, detailing their findings, for interested citizens. </p>.<p>“When we have a better understanding of the system, we will be able to use it more effectively,” she notes. </p>
<p>A citizen welfare initiative hopes to find and highlight the gaps in Bengaluru’s public transport system. </p>.<p>Oorvani Foundation announced the Citizens Commute Project in April. It hopes to encourage and equip citizens with the tools to create a positive change. The Foundation was set up with the intention of addressing civic issues commonly faced by citizens and giving them a chance to play a role in solving the problems.</p>.<p>“Public transport has a direct impact on a city’s livability and sustainability. So we felt it was important to focus on it and take stock of the quality of our public transport system, the glitches, problem areas and obstacles,” says Satarupa Bhattacharya, program director, adding that a key objective of the initiative is to encourage more people to use public transport to commute. “Lack of adequate and effective last-mile connectivity continues to be one of the main factors for underutilisation of public transport,” she states.</p>.<p>From mid-May until mid-June, her team of reporters and volunteers will visit metro stations and bus stands to gather information from commuters who use the services extensively and across long distances. “We hope to talk to roughly 15-20 people along each metro line,” she reveals.</p>.Namma Metro commuters seek better grievance redressal.<p>In addition, the Foundation will also consult its WhatsApp community, titled Oorvani Change Network, which has over 500 active citizen members across various groups. “The volunteers will ask commuters about how the metro or bus changed their lives, what would encourage them to use it more often, etc,” Satarupa shares. The team is also considering a bus stop audit. Members of the groups will visit one or two bus shelters each in their neighbourhood to report on the condition of the shelters and how they can be improved. </p>.<p>Apart from Namma Metro and BMTC, the project will also take into consideration the much-delayed Bangalore Suburban Rail Project or K-Ride, primarily to figure out how to tackle the problem of deadlines that are constantly pushed back. At the end of the survey, Oorvani will host a talk and workshop, detailing their findings, for interested citizens. </p>.<p>“When we have a better understanding of the system, we will be able to use it more effectively,” she notes. </p>