New Delhi, Jul 25 (PTI) Using Big Data analytics, artificial intelligence and IIT-Delhi expertise, the Delhi government is working to finalise the routes of its ambitious ‘Mohalla Bus’ initiative aiming to solve last-mile connectivity issues in the national capital.
The government has also deployed Assistant Traffic Inspectors (ATIs) to identify routes and assess the feasibility of operating Mohalla buses in the area, according to an official statement issued here on Thursday.
A team of 32 Assistant Traffic Inspectors (ATIs) has been formed, divided into four zones, each having two teams of four ATIs.
The ATIs will visit their respective areas to assess the practical challenges of operating nine-metre Mohalla buses on these routes.
The team will also gather inputs from the public on initiating new routes in these areas, the statement said.
In collaboration with IIT-Delhi, the Kejriwal government will employ advanced Big Data analytics and AI-driven solutions to pinpoint key areas and design efficient bus routes, it said.
“The use of AI and Big Data analytics in public transportation is a game-changer for Delhi. We are also taking help of ATIs in finalising the Mohalla Bus routes,” the official release read.
This will help design an optimised route network that maximises coverage of transport demand, offering better intra-region and last-mile connectivity to the Delhi Metro. The focus will also be on cost-effectiveness and environmental sustainability through the use of electric vehicles and strategic route planning, the statement said.
“By identifying under-served and high-footfall areas, we can ensure that our Mohalla bus network not only enhances connectivity but also operates efficiently and sustainably. This initiative is a significant step towards making Delhi’s public transport system more accessible and user-friendly,” the release quoted Delhi Transport minister Kailash Gahlot as saying.
IIT-Delhi will develop a model to identify origin-destination pairs that are currently under-served by the existing public transportation network but have high travel demand.
This model will utilise travel time data to evaluate the health and connectivity of the current transit network, creating a comprehensive supply model, the release said.
It will also capture transit and travel time data from passenger information platforms, including transport agencies and Google Maps, to determine the ease of travel between locations and identify under-served regions, it added.
The AI model will aggregate trip data from location-based services and GPS-enabled apps, converting it into an origin-destination matrix format. It will also incorporate demographic information to gain insights into potential source and sink regions, analyse travel patterns, and leverage ridership data from the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to identify high-footfall areas.
Using the developed model, IIT-Delhi will design an efficient route network for the Mohalla buses. This will involve an AI-based routing algorithm capable of handling variable passenger loads, maximising coverage, and ensuring route feasibility and user experience, the statement added.
The algorithm will consider existing transit networks, travel demand, operational constraints, and user experience factors, including generalized costs and time penalties compared to driving.
After the route design, the institute will support the Delhi Transport Department in monitoring and optimising the routes. Real-time data collection and analysis will be crucial, with key performance indicators such as passenger ridership, travel times, and route efficiency being monitored to facilitate data-driven improvements, the release said.
In addition to leveraging AI, the Delhi government is incorporating inputs from area MLAs, locals, and data collected during a 30-day comprehensive ground assessment exercise by the transport department’s technical team, it added.
The government had recently initiated a trial of the Mohalla Bus services, which are currently running on two routes: Pradhan Enclave Pusta to Majlis Park Metro Station, and Akshardham Metro Station to Mayur Vihar Phase-III Paper Market.
The Mohalla Bus Scheme aims to deploy nine-meter-long electric buses for neighbourhood or feeder services, with a plan to introduce 2,180 such buses by 2025. Currently, the government is operating 100 buses acquired from the DMRC.
The mission includes procuring 2,080 additional buses, divided equally between the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and the Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS). PTI SLB RPA
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