Delhi's new bus corridor meets its key objectives, but there is still room for improvement. Photo by Madhav Pai.

With the launch of its new bus corridor in April 2008, Delhi took the first step toward developing a sustainable transport network for the city. The 6-kilometer pilot corridor gives priority to public buses on segregated lanes and creates dedicated spaces for bicycles, cycle-rickshaws and pedestrians. Despite receiving positive feedback from bus passengers, the corridor faced harsh criticism from local media, which pointed to congestion and safety concerns.

To help the city improve the system, transport experts from EMBARQ evaluated the performance of the corridor in February 2009, using international standards for bus rapid transit systems. The independent analysis was supported by the Centre for Science and the Environment and funded by the ClimateWorks Foundation.

Through their technical observations and interviews, Dr. Dario Hidalgo and Madhav Pai concluded that Delhi’s new bus corridor has succeeded in meeting some of its key objectives to improve mobility and security. But further improvements can be achieved through gradual and systemic efforts to monitor and enhance bus operations.