Comparative Study of Formal Public Transport Network and Informal Public Transport Network of Nagpur, India

Abstract

In the developing countries along with formal public transport network (FPTN), informal public transport network (IPTN) also plays an integral role by achieving high public transport ridership. IPTN caters effectively to the user’s expectations and appears to be highly integrated with urban fabric. IPTN either complements or compete with the existing FPTN, even though due credit is not given to IPTN and considered as unlawful entities. Efficiency and robustness of transport network is based on topological structure of network. To summarize which network is more efficient and robust, the study tests the network parameters of formal Public Transport Network and Informal Public Transport Network of Nagpur (India). A topological measure of network structure has tested based on elementary concepts of graph theory. We explore the network structure and their properties. The practical significance of the network parameters was then analysed. In the IPTN the degree of small-worldliness is smaller, as compared to FPTN, indicative of IPTN being more robust as compared to FPTN. This study provides an approach to understand the efficiency of an Informal public transport network in combination with Formal public transport network. The article identifies the importance of Informal public transport network to improve the Complementarity with the formal public transport network. Integrating formal and informal transportation network into a hybrid network has the potential to induce the desired relationships amongst FPTN and IPTN, i.e. competing or complimenting nature to improve the overall efficiency of FPTN.