A multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) approach for evaluating the performance of Indian cities' sustainable infrastructure

Abstract

Mass transit system play a key role especially in metro cities. In the last decade, many Indian cities have started the bus rapid transit system (BRTS). In many cities the system is successful and serving large number of passengers and generating good revenue also. Most of the cities have dedicated routes which enhances the operational speeds and also the consistency. This study evaluates the performance of BRTS of eight Indian cities on the basis of eleven evaluative criteria. The suggested approach uses a hybrid Entropy-Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) methodology to weigh the evaluative measures and select the best ranking BRTS. Initially, it was found that evaluation criteria were based on the operational data of BRTS. Subsequently, author framed a methodology to achieve the performance assessment by calculating the weight of each criteria through Entropy Weight Method (EWM). Then, TOPSIS technique was adopted to determine the broad assessment standards and performance rankings of cities considered for present study. Lastly, sensitivity investigation was performed for 2 criteria which showed minor change in the ranking of BRTS cities.