I
read,
“Stacey Calvin … knows exactly where to board the train and which
stairwells to use at the stations so that she has the best chance of getting to
work on time in the morning and making it home to greet her three children
after school”
[1].
She lives in Atlanta, GA, USA.
Well,
I do precisely the same while commuting by the Delhi Metro, if not for the
exact reasons Stacey Calvin does. Indeed, I have posted a piece on that,
mentioning that when I feel this habit of mine is on a slippery slope to
superstition, I arrest myself, denying myself the benefits of less exertion.
This
is a two track post and the above is one. The next one relates to a story about
DMRC’s customer satisfaction survey results [2]. DMRC is full of itself (the
heading screams) as it claims the following: “Commuters who took the survey have rated DMRC highest [my emphasis] in
comfort and customer care with 7.42 [on a scale of 1 to 10] and 7.38 out of 10,
respectively, followed by information dissemination at 7.30” As a reader, you
will be taken in by “have rated DMRC highest” before you begin in to ask, as
compared to what. I should give it to DMRC, for having chosen the best as the
spokesperson! He forces you to think his way before you start thinking for
yourself!
But
settle down a little bit, and let reality speak for itself. DMRC marks qualify
for a B grade on the three. Its comfort level is higher only with respect to
the customer care it provides, which in turn is better than information
dissemination. Truly, nothing to write home about!
What
are the major “crucial aspects” DMRC included in the survey? I will give you
the whole list: “availability, accessibility, information, quality of service,
customer care, comfort, security and safety, and commuter facilities outside
the Metro station.” You can let your imagination roam and decide that the other
five “crucial aspects” (not mentioned in the earlier quote) fared poorly,
perhaps going to a B-.
“Among
the respondents 75.8% were male.” You have to understand the full import of
this statement. If you are not a male, who are you? A female, I would imagine. Then,
you have to perceive this 75.8% - 24.2% male-female split as a post facto justification for reserving
one coach out of four in every train nearly three years ago. DMRC can now claim
that their survey population is truly representative of the all the commuters!
But, that is not all. Now, there are only a few 8 coach train sets. When they
become more numerous, then DMRC can step in and increase the number of coaches
reserved for ladies to 2! There is much forward thinking in this split.
One
more point to be noted before I merge the two tracks. Commuters are not too
happy with the number of lifts and escalators provided at the stations.
That
is, not only Stacey Calvin (“knows exactly where to board the train and
which stairwells to use”) and I, but most commuters want to reduce
the amount of time spent, the number of steps taken on the platforms. This is
not unreasonable. But, to demand more escalators or elevators solely on this
count is indeed unreasonable. It must be a matter of the speed of evacuation in
times of emergency that must take precedence, combined with the feasibility of
providing and the economics of the use of these facilities.
For
example, there are a number of stations on the Blue Line that do not have escalators.
Why? The station areas are too congested to accommodate escalators. To the
extent I know the facts, DMRC is helpless, but it is not bold enough to admit.
I do not know whether any survey respondent asked why at a particular station
(Madipur on the Green Line) the escalator always descends! Is it that climbing
down is more arduous than climbing up at this station?
While
on the vertical mode of travel in stations, let me ask any of the respondents
who complained about the inadequacy of the number of lifts whether (s)he has
used them and if yes, whether (s)he is a senior citizen, sick or disabled. It
is written clearly on top of the elevator entrance that the facility is
exclusively for those listed. If only you watched people rushing to get into an
elevator, you could as well be imagining gold medals in 100 m sprint at the
next Olympics for India; please note, not Paralympics.
Beyond
escalators and elevators, the rush inside the coaches, particularly at the
doors right in front of the escalators and elevators, is over dense. It would
make you feel that Stacey Calvin has an easy life! On the lines that form on
the platform, there is a story to tell. The lines form when there is no train
visible on the track. The moment it is the line dances around as jelly in a
bowl and disappears.
This
is where I am reminded of an article by Jayati Ghosh in Frontline [3]. The writer extols the “high degree of discipline,
politeness and rule-based behavior” of people on the Tokyo Metro. This is
precisely what is lacking in Delhi Metro. Rules are never broken because no
rules are ever acknowledged; politeness is for cows; and discipline, for nerds.
I
now come to the conclusion of this rambling post. DMRC must have included one
more “crucial aspect”, and the question, “How do you rate commuter behavior, on
the scale of Excellent, Very Good, Good, Satisfactory, or Need Improvement?”
For this one question, I might even suggest, “Beyond Redemption.”
Stacey
Calvin would have never suggested that for the Atlanta Metro.
Raghuram
Ekambaram
References
1. In Climbing Income Ladder, Location
Matters, David Leonhardt, The
New York Times, July 22, 2013 (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/22/business/in-climbing-income-ladder-location-matters.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0)
2.
Metro a
hit with everyone: Survey, The Times
of India, July 29, 2013 (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Metro-a-hit-with-everyone-Survey/articleshow/21441802.cms)
3.
Way to go!,
Jayati Ghosh, Frontline, December 17, 2010
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