Comments on: why delhi’s buses are so deadly: an economic analysis

By: Bye-bye, Blueline! Next: a golden age for Delhi buses? | Our Delhi Struggle

Bye-bye, Blueline! Next: a golden age for Delhi buses? | Our Delhi Struggle — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 20:05:24 +0000

[...] not because the drivers are bloodthirsty madmen, but because the economics behind the system creates deadly incentives in the drivers. (Each driver rents his bus for the day, which means he profits only after he’s picked up [...]

By: Delhi’s deadly Blueline comes to… New York City? « Our Delhi Struggle

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 19:46:31 +0000

[...] bus fleet (the privately-owned menace that scores a yearly death count rivaling a Stallone movie) was so deadly. It was economics, I theorized: each bus driver is in competition with every other driver on his [...]

By: death of a median, part II: where iron fences fail « Our Delhi Struggle

death of a median, part II: where iron fences fail « Our Delhi Struggle — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:06:55 +0000

[...] city is right to protect its investments in infrastructure and its citizens from becoming further sad notches on the Blueline’s belt. But pedestrians as a collective do not take kindly to arbitrary [...]

By: In defence of (petty) corruption « SWARAJ

In defence of (petty) corruption « SWARAJ — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:07:24 +0000

[...] that reduces these inefficient barriers of state-run buses. (Slightly unrelated, some people argue that private buses could be unsafe because they compete crazily with each other to get passengers [...]

By: Economics Analysis of Why Delhi’s Buses are so Deadly at Curious Cat Investing and Economics Blog

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 18:23:24 +0000

[...] Why delhi’s buses are so deadly: an economic analysis At least 115 people were killed by Blueline buses in 2008. The Blueline’s grim numbers stem entirely from two perverse economic incentives: the driver’s salary is wholly dependant on how many fares he picks up, and each bus is in direct competition with every other bus on the route. … Which is why the last thing a Blueline driver ever wants to do is come to a stop. Every move he makes is done with the intent of keeping the bus in motion: slowing just enough so debarking passengers can jump off, then picking up speed as the new passengers run alongside the bus, swinging themselves up and in as the conductor screams at them to hurry. … But with an estimated 2,200 Blueline buses careening across Delhi on any given day, it’s no wonder the newspaper reports are almost identical every day. After an accident, the driver tries to flee, an angry mob beats him, the police impound the bus, the driver is thrown in jail, the owner of the bus is not mentioned. Sometimes the driver escapes, in which case the mob finds its release in setting fire to the bus. [...]

By: JADB | Blueline Busses versus Minibus Taxis

JADB | Blueline Busses versus Minibus Taxis — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 07:33:50 +0000

[...] This sounds eerily familiar: Why Delhi’s Buses Are So Deadly: An Economic Analysis… [...]

By: Some recent links about life and living in India - paulcarvill.com

Some recent links about life and living in India - paulcarvill.com — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:03:20 +0000

[...] why delhi’s buses are so deadly: an economic analysis “The Blueline [Delhi bus]’s grim numbers stem entirely from two perverse economic incentives: the driver’s salary is wholly dependent on how many fares he picks up, and each bus is in direct competition with every other bus on the route.” [...]

By: Delhi’s buses: Why a skewed incentive system kills people « Deep Dive

Delhi’s buses: Why a skewed incentive system kills people « Deep Dive — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 09:08:24 +0000

[...] buses: Why a skewed incentive system kills people Here’s an interesting piece on living in Delhi by Dave Prager. He talks about Delhi’s buses and how they kill 100 plus people per year. Mainly its because of a [...]

By: Hansen

Hansen — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:40:55 +0000

With 2,200 buses driving around the city at any moment it’s hard to acknowledge that 115 deaths is really that much.
How many people bus related deaths happens in other cities around the word?

By: somnath

somnath — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:51:53 +0000

I think you got one thing wrong — the Delhi buses definitely do not spew black smoke, since the entire fleet runs on CNG, the conversion having been forced on them by the Supreme Court a few years ago.
The same thing happens in Kolkata… not so many deaths, though. First, because we don’t have Delhi’s wide roads. Second, Kolkata’s people are much more proactive in lynching the driver, burning the vehicle etc. Third, in Delhi, when you try to cross the road, the vehicles coming your way will actually speed up. But in this communist city, any person can simple hold up a hand and cross the road at will.
We do have some state-owned bus services — their drivers simply drive the mandated number of trips from point a to b, without really worrying about picking up passengers (depends on the individual drivers). But they don’t kill. The much-feared traffic sergeants of Kolkata Police don’t touch them because they are scared of the unions.
Coming back to your comment on road deaths, the government in Kolkata had tried to bring killer drivers under non-bailable sections of the penal code that deal with “culpable homicide not amounting to murder”. (At present, the driver is booked under bailable sections relating to rash driving.) This sparked great outrage from the Left unions and the move died!