Transport Sector

UK transport minister Louise Haigh quits in new blow to PM Starmer

In her resignation letter shared by Starmer's office early on Friday, Haigh said she was standing down as the issue 'will inevitably be a distraction from delivering on the work of this government'

India's transport sector boom to push fuel use, emissions higher: Study

The transport sector is the second-highest emitter of carbon dioxide (CO2) globally, after the electricity and heat production sector

LMV driving licence holders can drive vehicles with 7,500 kg weight: SC

In a relief for commercial vehicle drivers, the Supreme Court on Wednesday held that a person holding a driving licence for a light motor vehicle (LMV) is also entitled to drive a transport vehicle with an unladen weight not exceeding 7,500 kg. The judgement of a five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud is a jolt to insurance companies which had been rejecting claims if accidents involved transport vehicles of a particular weight and if the drivers were not authorised to drive them as per legal stipulation. There is no empirical data that LMV driving licence holders are responsible for rise in road accidents in the country, Justice Hrishikesh Roy, who wrote the unanimous verdict for the bench, said. He said the LMV driving licence holders, who spent maximum time behind the wheels, are seeking an answer from the court and their grievances cannot be rejected on technical grounds. Besides the CJI and Justice Roy, the bench also comprised Justices P S ...

Truck freight rates for major metros inch up in February: CMIE data

Road transport is estimated to account for over 70 per cent of domestic freight demand

Govt issues guidelines for transport pilot projects on green hydrogen use

The government on Wednesday issued scheme guidelines to support pilot projects based on the use of green hydrogen as fuel in buses, trucks and four-wheelers. The scheme will be implemented with a total budgetary outlay of Rs 496 crore till the financial year 2025-26, a statement by the Ministry of New Renewable Energy said. The central government has come out with guidelines for undertaking pilot projects for using green hydrogen in the transport sector. "Scheme Guidelines for Implementation of Pilot Projects for Use of Green Hydrogen in the Transport Sector" have been issued by the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) on February 14, 2024, under the National Green Hydrogen Mission, according to the statement. With the falling costs of renewable energy and electrolysers, it is expected that vehicles based on green hydrogen can become cost-competitive over the next few years. Future economies of scale and rapid technological advancements in the field of vehicles powered by ..

About 80% of buses operational during Tamil Nadu transport unions strike

About 80 percent of buses in Tamil Nadu were being operated on Tuesday amid the strike call given by various transport unions, including those affiliated to the CPI(M) and AIADMK, officials said. The state government buses were operated in several parts including Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore and Kanyakumari districts, benefiting the commuters, they said. In Chennai, the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) authorities ensured the buses were operated as usual and that the strike did not impact the public much, a senior official said. "The MTC buses were being operated as scheduled from 6 am and the public are requested not to panic," a senior transport official said. "About 80 percent" of the buses were being run in the state, he said without divulging further details. The trade unions had announced the strike demanding implementation of "6 point charter of demands." It includes initiation of talks for enhanced wages (15th wage revision pact), filling vacant posts, and release o

Vehicles to stay off roads in Assam as 48-hour transport strike begins

Commercial vehicles and other modes of public transport stayed off the roads in most parts of Assam on Friday, owing to a 48-hour strike called by a joint forum of transporters' unions to protest against the new penal law on hit-and-run cases. Office-goers had a difficult time reaching their workplaces as buses, taxis and app cabs didn't ply, abiding by the strike call. "The government only wants to blame drivers for any unfortunate incident even if they may not have committed the crime. Instead of improving road conditions, they are penalising the poor drivers," said Ramen Das, the convenor of Assam Motor Worker Associations' Joint Platform. "The new law on hit-and-run cases is anti-drivers and is against owners of vehicles. We call for a strike of all vehicles from 5 am on Friday to 5 am on Sunday to press for our demand for withdrawal of the legislation," Das said. Talks with officials of the state government on Thursday night failed to make any headway, he added. Under the ...

How Rail Freight is Powering India's Express Delivery Future

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Delhi airport to have multi-modal transport hub near Aerocity: Operator

The new facility will help passengers from adjoining interstate cities to catch international flights

Diesel sales drop 7.5% in November as truck drivers take Diwali break

India's diesel consumption slumped by 7.5 per cent in November on a fall in demand in the transportation sector where some took Diwali break, preliminary data of state-owned firms showed on Friday. Diesel consumption dropped to 6.78 million tonnes in November from 7.33 million tonnes a year back. Industry officials said this was largely because some truckers take Diwali break to visit their homes and the demand is largely going to come back this month. Diesel is India's most consumed fuel, accounting for almost 40 per cent of all petroleum product consumption. Transport sector accounts for 70 per cent of all diesel sales in the country. Petrol sales by three state-owned fuel retailers rose 7.5 per cent to 2.86 million tonnes on increased personal vehicle movement during the festive season. Fuel consumption has been on a see-saw over the last couple of months. Petrol demand had fallen 9 per cent year-on-year in the first half of October and diesel sales by 3.2 per cent but the sta

Delhi LG okays scheme to regulate transport aggregators, delivery providers

Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has approved a scheme for the regulation and licensing of delivery service providers and aggregators offering passenger transport services in the national capital, officials said on Friday. The scheme also paves the way for bike taxis and mandates that the transport aggregators should onboard electric two-wheelers for passenger services. "The file pertaining to the the Delhi Motor Vehicle Aggregator and Delivery Service Provider Scheme 2023 has been approved. The policy is likely to be notified soon," said an official. This scheme was cleared by the Delhi government on October 18 and its file was submitted to the LG. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said the scheme "marks a significant milestone in Delhi's fight against pollution". The scheme intends to bring the aggregator platforms under the ambit of the government to ensure the safety of the passengers and customers. It mandates commercial vehicle fleets to ensure a phased conversion

Road accidents in India at decade low, but number of fatalities up

70% accidents caused by over-speeding; two-wheeler riders, pedestrians among most vulnerable

Clean the air

India needs a plan to address pollution

Finalising policy for using municipal waste in road construction: Gadkari

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said his ministry is finalising a policy for use of municipal waste in road construction. Addressing a press conference, Gadkari further said the government is considering offering incentives to construction equipment manufacturers for not using fossil fuels. "We are finalising the policy for using municipal waste in road construction," he said. Gadkari said his ministry has taken several initiatives to decarbonise the transport sector and that the government is working on developing electric highways between Delhi and Jaipur. Electric highways cater to electric traction for vehicles in the same manner as is done for railways. This is based on a prevalent technology in countries like Sweden and Norway. It involves the provision of power cables, which can be utilised by a vehicle which caters to this type of technology. The vehicle will utilise the power from this cable for its traction. At present, the ministry i

MCD identifies 26 roads for cleaning, plans special drive ahead of G20

Ahead of the G20 Summit, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has planned a special drive starting August 16 for cleaning and upkeep of 26 prominent roads in the city, officials said on Saturday. The G20 Summit is slated to take place on September 9-10 at a recently-inaugurated state-of-the-art convention complex at Pragati Maidan. As the G20 Summit date approaches, the MCD has "accelerated its efforts to enhance the look and feel of the city," a senior official said. In order to keep the city clean, green and in good condition, the MCD has planned a special drive from August 16 to September 19, when the final meeting is proposed to be held in New Delhi. Under this special drive, 26 major roads from the point of view of the G20 Summit have been identified, which will be supervised by nodal officers. The nodal officers along with their teams, through the deployment of MRSMs (Mechanical Road Sweeping Machines) and multi-purpose vehicles, will look after the cleanliness work, up

Global mobility firm Flix to enter India in early 2024 with bus service

Company operates in 40 countries, owns US transport firm Greyhound

Goods transport agencies have time till May 31 to opt for GST payment: Govt

The government has extended the deadline to May 31 for Goods Transport Agencies to exercise the option of paying GST on forward charge basis for current fiscal. Under GST, Goods Transport Agencies have the option to collect and pay GST on forward charge basis. If they do not opt to do so, the liability to pay the tax gets transferred to the recipient of the service, under reverse charge mechanism. To opt for paying Goods and Services Tax (GST) under forward charge basis at the rate of 12 per cent (with input tax credit) and 5 per cent (without ITC benefits) in a fiscal, a Goods Transport Agency (GTA) has to fill a form (Annexure V) by March 15 of the preceding financial year. In an amendment to the GST Act, the finance ministry in May said "the option for the Financial Year 2023-2024 (by a GTA) shall be exercised on or before the 31st May". Any entity providing service of goods transport by road and issuing a consignment note for the purpose is defined as GTA under GST, which came

Focus on last-mile connectivity in Delhi Budget for transport sector

A 'mohalla bus' scheme to ensure last mile-connectivity and development of three ISBTs with airport-like facilities were some of the key announcements made by Delhi Finance Minister Kailash Gahlot for the transport sector in the city budget on Wednesday. Presenting his first budget, Gahlot announced an allocation of over Rs 9,000 crore for the transport sector. Gahlot, who also holds the Transport portfolio, said a bus fleet comprising 10,480 buses will be ready in Delhi by 2025. The city currently has 7,319 buses. "Eighty per cent of these will be electric buses. A dedicated 'mohalla bus' scheme will be launched for last-mile connectivity in the city. As part of the scheme, 100 'mohalla' e-buses will be launched in 2023-24, while 2,180 will be inducted in next two years," he said. According to the government, this is the first time in Delhi that electric feeder buses will be plying in remote areas. "The anticipated expenditure for this massive induction plan of electric buses ove

TCI Safe Safar: Har Safar - Safe Safar - ESG Safar

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Trai recommends 5 MHz spectrum in 700 MHz band to NCRTC for RRTS corridors

Telecom regulator Trai has recommended that the 5 MHz spectrum in the 700 MHz band should be assigned to National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) for use in Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridors along the railway tracks. The frequency spectrum to be assigned to NCRTC shall be adjacent to the frequency spectrum assigned to Indian Railways in the 700 MHz band, Trai said in its recommendations on Spectrum Requirements of NCRTC for Train Control System for RRTS Corridors. "A separate category of permission/license for Captive Non-Public Network for Railway Networks (CNPN-R) may be created. However, the permission/licensing regime for CNPN-R may be kept very simple and light touch," the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) said. The frequency spectrum assigned to NCRTC may also be assigned to other RRTS or metro rail networks, which are geographically separated and not likely to cause any interference with one another, it suggested. To ascertain the ...