Mumbai: The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) in collaboration with World Resources Institute (WRI) India Ross Center and Toyota Mobility Foundation (TMF) jointly launched the Station Access and Mobility Program (STAMP) in Mumbai.
The program aims at enabling public-private partnership by launching a challenge to seek innovative data and technology-based solutions to improve crowd management and first- and last-mile connectivity to the Mumbai Metro.
STAMP will be facilitated by the partners, namely, Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM), Mumbai Traffic Police (MTP), Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation Limited (MRVC), Mumbai Metro One Pvt. Ltd. (MMOPL) and Maharashtra State Innovation Society (MSInS).
MMRDA spearheads the task of building the metro network in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). They have already successfully begun implementation, with over 300 kilometers of metro rail networks in the region in varying stages of completion.
The current 11.4 km of the Mumbai Metro One Line that offers east-west connectivity in the city by linking major suburban hubs of Versova, Andheri and Ghatkopar to employment centers, has a total anticipated ridership of around 8 million passengers per day.
This ridership is expected to continue growing as the metro offers a safe and reliable commute option. This will, in turn, increase the need for control of metro passenger traffic.
Electric and alternate fuel-based last-mile connectivity services informed commuting enabled by data dissemination, and tech-enabled crowd management techniques can help improve the metro commuter experience. The STAMP Challenge will seek such solutions by building efficiencies in passenger flow and passenger dispersion at stations.
On the occasion, MMRDA Metropolitan Commissioner R. A. Rajeev said, “MMRDA is creating additional public transport system by way of metro projects which will cater to an additional 8 million passenger trips per day. To ensure smooth, efficient and safe dispersal of commuters for last/first-mile connectivity MMRDA is implementing multimodal integration plans together with technology innovations. In this context, MMRDA is happy to associate with WRI and other concerned agencies.”
This is the fourth edition of the STAMP challenge led by WRI India and Toyota Mobility Foundation. Previously, they have worked in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Kochi to improve access and last-mile connectivity to mass transit systems using data. This year, WRI and TMF will work towards improving access and usage of metro transit in Mumbai by sourcing innovative and sustainable entrepreneurial solutions.
Toyota Mobility Foundation Director Prasanna Ganesh remarked, “Metro transportation must enable its commuters with a safe, affordable, convenient and comfortable mobility offering. To achieve this, Mumbai Metro has agreed to tackle the significant problem of crowd management in their stations as a critical element of the commute.
The Toyota Mobility Foundation is excited to work with WRI India and introduce technology and data-driven innovations that can be coupled with localized ideas to augment the Mumbaikar commuter experience. After successful pilots in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Kochi, STAMP Mumbai will take another step to comprehensively tackle the first- and last-mile problem.”
Commenting on the launch of STAMP in Mumbai, Vice Chairman and Whole-time Director of Toyota Kirloskar Motor Shekar Viswanathan said, “The launch of STAMP in Mumbai seeks to enhance first- and last-mile connectivity by creating sustainable transport systems that are economical and easily accessible. With the rapid surge in the usage of the metro, this initiative will fuel the constant innovation we are pursuing to lend to the greater good of society. At the end of the day, the efficiency of the metro needs to be matched by equally efficient first- and last-mile services for affordable and time-saving commutes.”
Learning’s from the pilots will be documented and used to work with MMRDA and other partners to develop strategies in planning last-mile solutions, mode integration, and passenger management for existing and upcoming metro projects in Mumbai.
