Abstract:
Auto rickshaws, which qualify as a para-transit mode of transport, are one of the most popular
mode of public transport in India. They stand incomparable in their segment of providing doorto
door transportation and last-mile connectivity at an affordable cost to a major chunk of the
Indian population. It is widely agreed upon that auto rickshaws are a dynamic mode of transport
in Indian cities, providing low-cost mobility and connecting travelers to mass transit or directly
to their destinations. The auto-rickshaw sector provides an existence for some of India’s poorest
citizens. Para-transit vehicles are a for-hire flexible passenger transportation that does not
necessarily follow fixed routes and schedules. They provide two types of services: one involving
trips along a more or less defined route with stops to pick up or discharge passengers on request.
The other is a demand-responsive transport which can offer a door-to-door service from any
origin to any destination in a service area.
Vadodara is one of the metropolitan city of Gujarat, which is running with multi formal and
informal transport mode. In formal transportation there is vinayak city bus service and as
informal public transport there is auto-rickshaw, Tata-magic, maruti-van, atul-rickshaw, and
few taxi. Approx. 75000 number of auto-rickshaws are running on the major and minor routes
of Vadodara city. Vadodara city known as smart city of Gujarat is suffering from the problems
of auto rickshaw sector, in solution of this serious problems, data collected by the questionnaire
forms, and data collected from the auto rickshaw drivers and the passengers as well as from the
police stations and authorized departments (VMC). A detailed study has been carried out to
understand the role and contribution of auto-rickshaw sector in transportation system as well as
to understand the present situation of the sector.
