People in Vizag do not rely on public transport; unlike people in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and other metro cities. The reasons for this could vary. People in metro cities have to travel long distances, and moreover these cities are overpopulated causing heavy congestion, poor road maintenance and heavy traffic. This results in people there using public transport more than cars and bikes.
But why do most Vizagites prefer to use private transport instead of public transport? The number of people who prefers public transport over cars are few. This is undoubtedly a clear cut concern. Everyone has a different opinion – for some vizagities, it is just not their first choice for convenience sake. A car is comforting, time saving, can chart out short trips to other town with friends.
Archisa Das, final year student says, “Cars and scooties give you that freedom to go anywhere. When you used share-auto and RTC buses the cost is obviously reduced, but direct autos cost a lot, so it is better to use scooty or car.”
There are few vizagities who opts for public transport over cars, because they can work on their laptops, read Bridget Jones, sleep whenever they want to and most importantly it is budget friendly. Maybe the thought of driving and hunting out places for parking seems stressful to them.
Sweta, trainee reporter at The New Indian Express says, “It makes travelling easy and saves money, not everyone owns personal bike or car. But equally public transport is dangerous at times when it is overcrowded, especially share-auto rickshaws. Yet it meets the needs of students, and people belonging to middle as well as lower classes.”
