A city like Ahmedabad, which has won many awards for its BRTS, and Pune, which is the first BRTS in India, both have a functioning BRTS and is work in-progress for expansion. With the initiation of Smart Cities, AMRUT and other projects on urban development and investment where BRT is on the investment agenda of many cities, the near absence of un-biased feedback leading to experiential learning is a handicap for the cities that are opting for the BRT system now. 

Therefore, INHAF is working on an advocacy effort through a study that looks at the BRTS’ working, acceptance, performance, financial viability, strengths and weaknesses in Pune and Ahmedabad. 

The aim is to provide feedback on all aspects of BRTS, which is intended to weigh the decision making of BRTS expansion plans. This is an effort to demystify the BRTS, its terminology and technology, in India.  Whatever exists on BRTS is either given by authorities, media, or consultants; it has never been seen from the people’s/user’s perspective, as our report attempts to capture. 

For this initiative, information was collected through multiple sources: focus group discussions with people from different sectors of society, interviews with experts, surveys of BRTS and non-BRTS users, media analysis, and extensive secondary data.