Explore Business Standard
Transportation
Ride-hailing app Rapido is in the midst of a 500-city expansion this year in India, a market where "vastness and depth" of mobility opportunity offers a high-growth upside, according to co-founder Pavan Guntupalli. On whether the company is eyeing an IPO in the near term, Guntupalli told PTI that Rapido is clocking healthy growth, is well capitalised and "will take a call depending on situation". The focus, for now, is on growth, he asserts. The commute app, which offers about 33 lakh rides every single day on its auto, bike taxi, and cab services expects to grow "sustainably". "We are seeing strong growth, we have already turned market leaders in the two-wheeler industry, and the three-wheeler industry. And we are also glad that in a couple of cities we operate in, we are also market leaders in the four wheeler-industry. We are currently doing the five lakh rides in cabs and expect strong growth, and this is on the back of our SaaS (software as a service) innovation," he said ...
The government on Friday said coal transportation through rail-sea-rail (RSR) route almost doubled to 54 million tonnes (MT) in FY24. Coal is carried from mines through this route in order to meet demand of various power plants. This involves movement of coal by rail in two legs -- from mines to unloading port, and from subsequent loading port to power plants. "Over the last few years Ministry of Coal has made significant strides in use of the coal Rail-Sea-Rail networks for evacuation of coal in coordination with Railways. As a result, the coal movement which was 28 MT in FY22 has almost doubled to 54 MT in FY24 and is on the increasing trend," the coal ministry said in a statement. This multi-modal system allows transportation of coal from mines to port and to their end users, while improving logistical efficiencies. This also reduces congestion on the all-rail route (ARR) and ensures lower carbon-footprint. The coal ministry said that it is committed to enhancing the RSR coal ..
Japan is planning to build an automated cargo transport corridor between Tokyo and Osaka, dubbed a conveyor belt road by the government, to make up for a shortage of truck drivers. The amount of funding for the project is not yet set. But it's seen as one key way to help the country cope with soaring deliveries. A computer graphics video made by the government shows big, wheeled boxes moving along a three-lane corridor, also called an auto flow road, in the middle of a big highway. A trial system is due to start test runs in 2027 or early 2028, aiming for full operations by the mid-2030s. We need to be innovative with the way we approach roads, said Yuri Endo, a senior deputy director overseeing the effort at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Apart from making up for a shrinking labour force and the need to reduce workloads for drivers, the system also will help cut carbon emissions, she said. The key concept of the auto flow-road is to create dedicated
The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has for the first time in nine years reported a profit after facing difficulties for the past five to six years, in the process achieving a significant financial turnaround, officials said on Thursday. The state owned MSRTC's recorded a profit of Rs 16.86 crore in August, the said. A total of 20 out of 31 divisions have reported profits, an MSRTC release said, adding the turnaround came about from discontinuing bus services on loss-making routes and diverting them to routes with high passenger demand, which optimized operations. "Additionally, the percentage of non-operational buses has been reduced by half, from 12 per cent to 6 per cent, compared to the previous year. Regular training sessions for drivers and mechanics have also resulted in a 0.52 km increase in diesel efficiency, leading to significant fuel savings. These concerted efforts culminated in the MSRTC reporting a profit of Rs 16.86 crore in August," the release
The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) on Friday said the construction of the Regional Rapid Transit System viaduct in the Delhi section is likely to be completed by April-end. Track-laying activities, along with electric traction and signalling work, are underway in the New Ashok Nagar-Sahibabad section, officials said here. The Delhi section is anticipated to be completed by the end of this year, paving the way for trial runs between Delhi and Sahibabad, they said. The NCRTC officials said the construction of the RRTS viaduct in the Delhi section was nearing completion. "Less than 500 metres of the viaduct in the Delhi section is now left for construction, which is scheduled for completion by the end of this month. The Delhi section is about 14 kilometres long which consists of about nine kilometres of elevated section and five km of underground section," an official said. Construction of more than eight kilometres of viaduct has already been completed in addi
Government think tank NITI Aayog has pitched for providing fiscal and non-fiscal incentives to promote liquified natural gas (LNG) as a transportation fuel in medium and heavy commercial vehicles. In a report titled LNG as a Transportation Fuel in Medium and Heavy Commercial Vehicle', the Aayog said the government's think-tank suggested setting up a demand aggregator company for buying LNG trucks, similar to Energy Efficiency Services (EESL) in the electric vehicle sector. According to the Aayog, India's rapidly expanding trucking market, which is expected to more than quadruple, from 4 million trucks in 2022 to roughly 17 million trucks by 2050, offers immense scope for lowering emissions and encouraging investments for growth. The Aayog suggested that priority lane access, for LNG vehicles can be provided as non-fiscal incentives to promote LNG. "Major cities and roadways need to be recognised, and such priority lane access can be tested first in major cities and roads," it ...