The first experiment between a state-run transporter and an app-based aggregator was formally discontinued on Saturday as the Gurugram Metropolitan City Bus Limited (GMCBL) terminated its contract with Uber for the Gurugaman Plus service. The initiative, rolled out last September with the expectation that it would marry the convenience of booking a seat through an app with the cost-effectiveness of public transport, was never a success, marred by low ridership and other factors like limitations of service and route.According to senior GMCBL officials, Gurugaman Plus won’t operate from October 1. It had only four buses that ran on two routes, with each bus making six trips. In the last few months, the buses were making just two trips each.
“Since we weren’t witnessing sufficient footfall on the Uber-linked bus service and were facing continuous losses, the board of directors has decided to discontinue the service. We issued Uber the final notice a month ago and from October 1, Gurugaman Plus will no longer be in service. The four buses that were plying under it will continue on the same routes with the normal fares,” GMCBL joint CEO Jitender Garg said.
The premium AC bus service allowed passengers to pre-book seats, follow the live location and route of the bus, and know its expected time of arrival, just like with a cab booked on Uber. The service aimed at targeting office-goers in the morning and evening hours, who were relying on either personal transport or costlier options such as cabs. The cost of the ticket was INR 7 per km, while the two routes were Badshapur bus stand to DLF Cyber Park (Shankar Chowk) via Huda City Centre metro station, and BPTP Astaire Garden (Sector 70) to DLF Cyber Park via Golf Course Road.
But getting a good response from passengers remained a challenge since the beginning, prompting GMCBL to reduce the number of trips booked via the app and allowing the buses to run on normal fares too. In September 2022, when GMCBL started the premium bus service, it saw only 182 passengers and earned a revenue of INR . 15,211. While footfall saw a gradual uptick with the cab aggregator even offering a 30% discount on fares – in May this year, a total of 2,738 tickets were sold – it eventually declined to 1,056 by July, after which GMCBL decided to discontinue the services.
Some of the users TOI spoke to said that the initiative was good but wasn’t executed in a planned manner. Ajay Sharma, a resident of Tulip Ivory who often booked a bus via Uber to reach Millenium City Centre Metro station, said it was an excellent idea to encourage people to take public transport with the use of technology. “Unfortunately, due to poor execution on the ground and lack of awareness about the service among the public, GMCBL has now discontinued it. Initially buses were available from 7.30am till 9am, but later the number of trips was reduced to only two. Via bus, it took me only 40 minutes to reach the Metro station and board the train without worrying about car parking, which is always a struggle to get,” he added.
Rajeev Srivastava, an IT professional working in Sector 21, said the service was a boon for those who didn’t have a personal vehicle. “I used to book my seat and get down at the last stop. It was a comfortable one-hour trip and highly cost-efficient. Even my wife used to travel by bus as it was safe and she didn’t have to wait at the bus stop longer than necessary, with the live location easily available. But last-mile connectivity remained the main challenge. So, instead of taking the bus as the timings were limited, people started carpooling. The authorities should have worked out a mechanism to ensure more people are using the service rather than closing it down altogether,” the Sector 70A resident said.
Experts pointed out that the service didn’t provide last-mile connectivity and the frequency of buses was too low. “The service was mainly targeting professionals but didn’t provide last-mile connectivity. With fewer routes and low frequency, it became challenging for people to switch to public transportation,” said Sarika Panda Bhatt, a road safety and mobility expert.
At present, 150 CNG-based buses are operating on 26 routes in the city and witness a ridership of 70,000-80,000 daily, while another 50 buses are plying in Faridabad. GMBCL‘s fleet size has remained stagnant over the years with no induction of new buses, due to which it hasn’t been able to provide a reliable alternative to commuters.
