The Daly College Indore. Photo by mcgillianaire.

The Context

Indore, nicknamed "Mini Bombay," is the largest city and commercial capital of the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. With a population of 1.8 million people, Indore faces the daunting task of providing a modern and efficient public transit system to accommodate its exploding growth, which brings with it increased congestion, travel delays, traffic accidents and environmental degradation.

As it stands now, the average Indore resident prefers to ride a bike over a bus, though the city teems with mini-buses, three-wheelers and auto-rickshaws. Efforts have been made through public-private partnerships to improve the city's transportation infrastructure. The city's new high-tech bus system, which features electronic ticketing and "live" information displays, currently operates on 277 kilometers of road. In February 2008, EMBARQ partnered with local authorities to provide technical assistance for the development of Indore's innovative Bus Rapid Transit system, known as Metro Jet.

Key Facts

Source: Centre for Sustainable Transport India