Organización y reestructuración del sector del transporte público intermedio: Trayectoria y evolución de la sociedad cooperativa de conductores de autorickshaw del distrito de Ernakulam

Intermediate Public Transport (IPT) plays a vital role in addressing the first and last mile connectivity in many Indian cities. It serves as feeders to public transport systems and acts as primary or the only mode of mobility in areas not served by or accessible to conventional road- based public transport modes. One of the major ways to augment Public Transport (PT) systems (buses, metro, ferry) is by integrating various transport modes (including IPT like autorickshaws) to the system to increase the PT catchment area by providing affordable first and last mile connectivity. Autorickshaws connect the various ends of a transit trip and offer a convenient last mile experience. However, this sector is not formalised and often functions in a disaggregated manner, resulting in mobility gaps. This is because often there is no regulatory body or committee at the city or district level to manage and organise the operations of IPT operations. This sector, represented primarily by the driver community, often lacks the technical knowhow and managerial skill sets to organise operations and thus face increased challenges compared to other mobility sectors.

Attempts to formalise the IPT sector have been undertaken in many cities. However, there is little documentation on the efforts taken in this direction. This document attempts to explain the process involved in formalising IPT (exclusively for autorickshaws) services and streamlining its operations based on the case example of Ernakulam District.