The presentation is an attempt to figure out various dimensions and perceptions of Karachi's Transport Issues.

1. Karachi’s Transport Issues
More Questions Than Answers
Karachi Conference 2014
Karachi Arts Council
November 22, 2014
Mansoor Raza mansooraza@gmail.com

2. Credits
• This Presentation is based on the
work done by Mr. Arif Hasan,
Urban Resource Center, Karachi
and the presenter. Iqbal Shadab,
a student at SZABIST, also
contributed to the presentation
Sources
• Understanding Karachi, Planning and
Reforms for the future, By Arif Hasan
and others
• Various Census Reports
• Various researches on Karachi‘s
transport issues and acceptability of
motorbikes/scooties by Arif Hasan and
associates
• CDGKP Plan 2020
• Report by JICA

3. Architecture of
the
Presentation

4. The Linkages
• Demographics
• Livelihoods
• Family Structure
• Housing

5. Karachi’s Demographics
Year Karachi
Urban
Population
1941 394,917
1951 1,068,459
1961 1,912,603
1972 3,515,402
1981 5,208,132
1998 9,339,235
2014
(oft. cited)
Above 20
million
Total Addition 1941-1998 8,944,318
Total Addition 1951-1981 (30 years) 4,139,673
IS APPROXIMATELY EQUAL TO
Total Addition 1981 -1998 (17 years) 4,131,103
In 1951 for every male there were 3.2 Females, and in
In 1998 for every male there were 1.16 Females, so the
gender gap is narrowing (we will see further in upcoming slides)
Does transport sector has the capacity or necessary
support to cater to the changing realities?
Year PA Growth
1941- 1951 10.47%
1951-1961 6 %
1961-1972 5.69%
1972-1981 4.46%
1981-1998 3.5%

6. Without Mass Transit…!!!
• 56 percent of employment in
manufacturing is in SITE Area,
Landhi and Korangi Area
• More than 80 percent of the
business service are located in
central area
• 50 percent of the employment in
wholesaling and transport is in the
central area. *
• Trip lengths is in the range of 20-
40 km for working class
commuters.**
• There are 24.2 million
person trips generated in
Karachi every day, out of
which at least 60% are
realized through the existing
system of public transport**
• 60 percent of those trips are
made by students in various
categories
• City has an equally large
informal sector, that is
dispersed throughout the
City.
• Karachi has to generate 3.5
million jobs at every five year
interval for the rapid
population growth
Mass transit of a wide network is absolutely
necessary…with a provision for parking and
place for vendors… as commuters, transport and
shopping facilities are inseparable entities.

7. At a Glance
1%
0%
2%
4%
50%
38%
5%
Minbuses Buses Taxi Rickshaw
Motorcycles Cars Others
Registered Vehicles 2011
Minbuses
15,807
(8,773, in 1998) 0.60%
Buses
6,506
(14,854, in 1998) 0.25%
Taxi
47,165
(13,613, in 1998) 1.80%
Rickshaw
105,684
(23,337, in 1998) 4.04%
Motorcycles 1,296,481 49.59%
Cars 998,920 38.21%
Others 144,017 5.51%
Total* 2,614,580 100.00%
1. Public transport (including para
transport) is only 7 percent.
2. Motorcycles and cars
cumulatively 88 percent
(approx)
3. ‘Others’ includes trucks,
lifters, ambulances, oil
tankers etc.
4. Number of buses reduced to
65 percent in 13 years

8. How safe Karachi
Roads Are
Total
Accidents
from 2008 -
2013
Percent of
Total
Accidents
Motorbikes 3,532 37.47
Bus/Minibus
Coach
1,252 13.28
Car 1,011 10.73
Truck 592 6.28
Dumper 341 3.62
Others…. …. ….
Total in 6
Years
9,425
1. The number of fatal accidents,
over the last 6 years has shown a
downward trend.
2. In 2013, the fatal accidents were
less than 1400.
3. The two big sources of accidents
are motorbikes and bus/coach &
minibuses.
4. Only rickshaws and oil tankers
have shown an increasing
tendency.
5. In 2000, majority of the accidents,
though, took place in Saddar Town,
but fatality rate was highest for Bin
Qasim Town; 15.34/100,000
population. Its close to fatality
rates of USA in that particular year.

9. Infrastructure
Issues
• Entry and Exit of underpasses and
flyovers points clogged during peak
hours.
• Pedestrians bridges are few and far off.
• Pedestrian bridges are insensitive to
old agers and patients of rheumatic
arthritis.
• Signal free corridors promotes
speeding, resulting in serious accidents
– and promote an elitist mindset.
• Establishing CNG stations along main
arteries causes serious traffic jams.
The city district
government of
Karachi had
identified 320
spots as
potentially
dangerous and
installed 45
pedestrian bridges
in the city, But at
least Rs 4 billion
would be needed
for all 320 sites. ---
-Year 2011

10. CNG CONNUDRUM• Each CNG Kit costs Rs.
150,000 to 200,000
• By December 2014,
total production in
Pakistan is 400 mmcfd
• Sindh CNG stations
draws only 2 percent of
the total production
• Use of gas to produce
electricity by both
domestic and
commercial sector
•Unaccounted for gas permissible
limit is 4 percent but it has
increased from 4 percent to 13
percent
•Savings by using CNG instead of
petrol is Rs.10,000 to Rs. 15,000
per month
•Industries use gas despite national
grid is available to those
Once converted to CNG, a bus
cannot be reverted back to diesel
Diesel Petrol Gas
Cost of producing
electricity per unit
Rs. 40 Rs. 17 Rs. 6 /7

11. Commuters’ Perspective
• Majority is ‘bi-modal’; bus and
rickshaw – but bus occupies the
major chunk of the pie
• It is hard to find transport on
strike days
• It gets difficult to get bus, after
dusk – bus operators are tired,
not safe and to have CNG for
the next day
• Prolonged travel time – as
number of buses plying are few,
traffic congestion, lack of traffic
disciplines- bus waiting time
etc…
•Overcrowding
•Termination of trip and u-turns
•Injuries due to high foot rest
and irregular loading and off-
loading
•Unsafe installation of CNG
cylinders
•Irregular bus fares because if
dysfunctional regulatory
authorities
•Safety and security – robberies
•Per annum expense is Rs.
18,000 approx. 624 hours is per
annum commutation time –
equivalent to 78 work
days…and the time loss is
double otherwise

12. Women
Perspective
Karachi Women 1981 1998
Total Married 66.06% 59.18%
Married (b/w
15-24 years)
37.42% 28.19%
Total Employed 64,126 115,409
Total Literate 48.84% 62.88%
Educational
Attainment
20.87% 27.7%
Divorced 0.23% 0.51%
•Less space in available due to segregation
and old design of buses
•Female seats are occupied by males
•Harassment is a common experience both
in buses and Qingqis and as well at bus
stops.
•Radicalization of attire creates insecurity
•Not safe to travel after sun set
•High foot paths (2ft instead of 1 ft) cause
difficulties for veiled women to off-load
•Women cannot travel on roof top of
minibuses  (Four points why people travel on
roof tops)
2. Despite increased participation
in public spheres, women are not
facilitated by the transport
sector, adequately
1. Transport, not the credentials,
becomes the sole determinant for
women’s choice of job…!!!

13. Bus Owners Taxi/Yellow
cab/Rickshaw
Mazda /Coaches
No. of vehicles? Decreasing Decreasing (though
data is otherwise)
Bank Loans Available? No No
Credit Terms ? Unfriendly Unfriendly Unfriendly
Is Business Profitable? No No No
Vehicle Maintenance ? Bad/Expensive Bad Bad
Police Behavior? Bribery Rampant (Rs. 3000
per month/per vehicle)
Irritating Bribery Rampant (in
1999 Rs. 3000 per
month/per vehicle)
Reasons for Traffic Jams? Public Inclination towards
Private Transport
Mismanagement
by traffic police
Insurance Facilities ? No No No
Major threat to
Operations?
Less Fares and Security
Situation
Less Fares and
Security Situation
Three Operators’ Perspective

14. Bus Owners Taxi/Yellow
cab/Rickshaw
Mazda /Coaches
Affect of change of land
use?
Yes (Saddar for
instance)
Compensation by govt.
for arson?
No/insufficient
Rs. 200,000 for a
bus of Rs 4 million)
Sometimes
/inadequate
No/insufficient
High Maintenance b/c of Ill-maintained
roads and spare
parts high cost
Ill-maintained roads and
spare parts high cost
Why Ticket system
dropped?
To save money To save money
Last time 1992
What the bare minimum
fair should be?
Rs. 48 According to the cost of
the vehicle…
!!!
Operators’
Perspective..cont…

15. The Second
Opinion
• Thousands suffer from pulmonary and
cardiac diseases because of air
pollution, particularly those living in
high density areas
• Noise pollution is not believed to be
cause of any disease but a catalyst for
late age mental disorders
• SOxs and NOxs are supposed to be
responsible for the dilapidation of
architectural heritage
• Lead (Pb) acts directly on CNS.
Particularly dangerous for children as it
acts 1-2 feet above the ground.
• Carbon-mono-oxide is a familiar enemy
and is responsible for many illnesses.
(reduce oxygen carrying capacity of
blood)
• Particulate matter from break pads
contribute to green house effect

16. Officials’
Perspective
• Traffic police is short of man power
• A total of 2,188 traffic police personnel
for the roads spread over 10,000 km
and for 100,000 vehicles
• 3.3 million vehicles are registered in
Karachi, with a daily addition of 900
vehicles
• In the year 2000, 140 routes of minibus
were approved, out of which 60-65 are
operational
• In the year 2000, 60 routes for buses
and were approved and only 20 are
operational.
• Transporters are converting their
vehicles into contract carriages, trucks
and goods’ vehicle
• No new investments are made by
transporters and 20 to 60-year-old
vehicles are plying on the road.
• No limit to life of vehicle is defined by
the provincial government
“NO IMMEDIATE
SOLUTION TO
TRAFFIC WOES IS
POSSIBLE.”

17. Housing
Transport
Connect
• Living on periphery means increased
cost of transportation, associated
discomfort and more time spent on
commutation.
• It also means that women who have
to look after families cannot work
And then.. • There is an increase in travelling
cost
So.. • Its cheap to rent a place in the center
of the city…resulting in densification

18. Just to
know
that…
1. Low income group constitutes 68 percent of
Karachi’s population.
2. Density is 6,000 persons per square
kilometer
3. Between 1998 and 2011, average HH size
has increased from 6.7 percent to 7.3
percent. Its due to shortage of housing and
not because of any increase in fertility rates.
4. 88 percent of the houses are built on 120
and less square yards
5. Houses built on 400-800 square yards are 2
percent of the total houses and they occupy
21 percent of the total 36 percent of the
residential land of Karachi

19. Family in
Transition • According to the Karachi Strategic
Development Plan 2020 Survey, 89
percent of families in Karachi are nuclear.
In the 1989 Survey the figure was 54
percent.
• Education of Children, the want for
independence, different life styles of
immediate family members and upward
social mobility are some of the reasons
for spin off.
• Affordability, security and availability of
the transport to commute to job place
and educational institution dictates the
choice of residence for the separating
couples.
Same holds true for
all other institutions.
To name the few …
•Education
•Health
•Marriage
•Love
•Sports
•Parenting
•Deviance and Crime…
So it’s a society in
transition.

20. Qingqi – The alternative
• Almost 50,000 unregistered Qingqi in the
city
• Generating a revenue some where
between 2.5 to 3 million a day by
transporting approximately 250,000
passengers
• Operated from informal ‘addas’.
• Addas are operated under the patronage
of political parties. Almost all Qingqi’s
have to give Rs. 150/day. Total amount
Rs. 7.5 million per day…!!!
• Blamed for slowing down of other
vehicles and creating congestion
• Used by women freely with complains of
harassment, mostly by motorcyclists
• City has a need of further 80,000 Qinqqis
WHY IT IS
POPULAR
1. No mass
transit plan
2. Fare is
cheaper
3. No waiting
time
4. Can stop
any where

21. Motorbike – The
Alternative?
Figures
• 1990 --- 450,000
• 2004 --- 500,000
• 2010 --- 1,000,000 (1 million)
• 2030 --- 3,600,000
• Almost 57 bikes for 1,000
person
• By 2030, there will be 115
bikes for every 1,000 persons
Popularity Reasons:
• A cheaper means of travel than
public transport,(Bus Rs. 1570 and bike Rs. 784)
• Provide flexibility, and
• Save time in commuting.
Challenges are
• Those cause congestion on the
roads,
• Adding to noise and air
pollution.
• A major source of fatal
accidents.
• Women, though willing, are
restricted to drive, because of
cultural reasons
What needs to de done?
•Design need to be improved for
back view mirror and to make it
culturally sensitive.
•Extension of credit and easy-to-
pay installments.
•Allocation of separate lane.

22. CONCLUSION
1
The Rail based mass transit will cater up to to 5-6
percent of the commuting public. Delhi caters to 4.8
percent and Bangkok 3 percent
Rail based transit is expensive. BRT is comparatively
cheaper but without subsidy it cannot operate. Lahore is
Rs. 20/person (shadra- gajomata, for a track of 27 Km.
Govt. is pushing for Rs. 40/person) and without a subsidy
of Rs. 1 Billion it will go upto Rs. 80/person
2
Hence, para-transit will always be needed… and
3

23. We need to answer…
1
2 Do we want to promote those?
If yes to point number 2 then what policies are required to
facilitate the two pro-poor modes of conveyance….and
…any planning/engineering should not be divorced with the
social realities of masses.
Do we want to curtail Motorbikes
and Qinqis?
OR