Comparing public bus transport service attributes in Delhi and Mumbai: Policy implications for improving bus services in Delhi

•Analysis of responses of bus users and transportation planning experts.•Overcrowding of buses is the major reason that inhibits public bus usage in Delhi.•Safety and security are a matter of concern mostly for females.•Travel time and punctuality attract high income people to buses.•More working people travel by buses in Mumbai as compared to Delhi.

Delhi and Mumbai are large cities with a population of more than 15 million each. Both cities have large bus systems. However, the share of bus users is much higher in Mumbai as compared to Delhi. There is a need to enhance the share of bus users in Delhi to reduce the growing traffic externalities in the city. The objective of this work is to compare the existing bus services of Delhi and Mumbai, and identify feasible strategies to improve the bus system in Delhi. A total of 1347 and 1045 bus passengers were surveyed in Delhi and Mumbai respectively to compare the existing bus systems of both cities. Further, 14 transportation experts in Delhi were surveyed to identify feasible improvement strategies in Delhi. Multinomial Logit (MNL) model and Sign test were used to analyze the perception of bus users. The analyses reveal that overcrowding is a major concern in both the cities. But, unlike Mumbai, Delhi buses are perceived as less punctual and more time consuming by non-captive1 users. As a result, share of non-captive users that travel by buses in Mumbai is higher as compared to Delhi. In terms of interventions, improved comfort, punctuality, and safety are considered relatively easier to achieve in Delhi as compared to reduction in travel time by experts. It is concluded that strategies to improve comfort, punctuality, travel time, and safety should be prioritized for bus services in Delhi.