The Indian government renewed its commitment to bus rapid transit and other modes of public transport at the 2008 Urban Mobility India conference held in New Delhi from Dec. 3-5.

The three-day event brought more than 5,000 government officials, academics and other urban transport professionals to discuss transportation in Indian cities. The agenda included a comparison of transportation best practices in places like Singapore; Curitiba, Brazil; and Bogota, Colombia, as well as discussions of issues like transport policy, planning, technology and financing.

Shri Ajay Maken, Minister of State for Urban Development, announced that proposals have been approved for bus rapid transit systems--covering 409 kilometers--in several cities, including Indore and Pune. He also advocated government subsidy assistance for public transport to encourage ridership.

At the conference, members of the Centre for Sustainable Transport India shared their experiences with public-private partnerships, as well as examples of mobility planning and implementation in Latin American countries, which pioneered the use of bus rapid transit.

"Our team in India witnessed the support of the Government of India to sustainable transport," says Dario Hidalgo, EMBARQ Senior Transport Engineer. "The discussions during the conference provide a solid foundation to the Indian efforts for better cities."

For a press release, click here.

To visit the official Urban Mobility India website, click here.