Inclusive Public Transportation Challenge

 

The development problem:

 

India operates one of the world's largest public transport networks. Indian Railways runs approximately 7,300 stations, with 1,300 station-redevelopment projects currently underway. India has third largest metro network in the world with over 1140 km of operational metro lines in 26 cities carry more than 12 million passengers a day, and India's urban bus networks move many millions more. Together, these systems form the daily backbone of urban mobility for hundreds of millions of Indians.

Within these networks, blind and visually impaired passengers face persistent barriers to independent travel. Operational data from the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), which runs India's Regional Rapid Transit System, indicates that visually impaired passengers travel almost exclusively when accompanied, and that elderly passengers regularly miss correct exits at multi-level stations even with the signage currently in place. For millions of blind and visually impaired Indians, the ability to move through the country's rail, metro, and bus networks independently is central to daily life. Bridging this gap is one of the most consequential opportunities in inclusive urban mobility today.

Existing systems and regulatory compatibility

 

Solutions must be designed to comply with India's regulatory framework and to work alongside the systems already in place across rail, metro, and bus networks. Specifically:

• Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016, which sets the national baseline for accessibility rights and obligations;
• Rights of Persons with Disabilities Rules 2017;
• Harmonised Guidelines and Space Standards for Barrier-Free Built Environment 2021
• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 with full screen-reader compatibility, expected for all public-facing digital services;
• Metro Railways (Operation and Maintenance) Act 2002;
• General Rules of Metro Operations 2013; and
• other operational guidance issued by metro and railway agencies for working inside stations, platforms, and track-level areas
• For bus-based deployments, applicable state urban bus transport authority regulations and relevant motor vehicle and public transport safety norms.

 

Solutions should also be designed to complement and integrate with existing station, stop, and vehicle systems already in place, including passenger information displays, public address systems, and real-time transit information, so that accessibility is layered onto the passenger experience rather than added in parallel.

Partnership and team composition

 

Applicants may apply on their own or as part of a consortium. In either case, applicants must identify a public transport system provider (a metro, railway, or bus operator) willing to partner on implementation, and propose a pilot site (a metro, RRTS, railway, or bus station) where the solution can be tested under real operating conditions.

Consortia are particularly welcomed, especially those that combine technical expertise with local partners such as metro, railway, or bus operators, accessibility specialists, and organizations working alongside blind and visually impaired communities. Where partners are not yet confirmed at concept note stage, applicants should describe the type of partnerships they intend to establish before implementation.

Operating conditions and constraints

 

The operating environment of the India’s urban public transportation system are characterized by discontinuous sidewalks, structural gaps in the platform levels, missing tactile paving, and crowded and noisy environment inside the stations. The potential technology solutions[EM5.1][KS5.2] must be designed for the Indian rail, metro, and bus environments to overcome the existing accessibility constraints and operating environment:

• Deployment environment: Stations, stops, and platforms that are large, multi-level, crowded, and noisy, with significant daily passenger flows from early morning through late night. Solutions must remain effective under peak-hour conditions when passenger density and background noise are highest.
• Interoperability and non-disruption: Solutions must be deployable without disrupting existing station, stop, or vehicle operations, and should be designed to work alongside or integrate with existing passenger information, safety, and security systems without compromising their reliability.
• Safety and security compliance: Any physical or digital component installed inside stations, stops, or vehicles must meet the safety standards issued by transit operators and comply with applicable national and state regulations.
• Language: India is a multilingual environment. Solutions with audio or text components should support Hindi and English at minimum, with the ability to add regional languages (e.g. Marathi, Kannada, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam) as the solution scales.
• Connectivity: Station and vehicle connectivity varies by location and operator, particularly at underground or peri-urban sites. Solutions should account for the possibility of intermittent connectivity and be able to function reliably when network access is limited.
• Power: Grid power is generally available at stations and terminals, but availability at specific installation points varies. Applicants should assess power availability at their proposed pilot site and consider battery, solar, or low-power options where continuous grid access cannot be assumed.
• Durability and maintenance: Physical components must withstand daily use in high-traffic public environments, with minimal maintenance requirements and clear pathways for repair or replacement by local staff.
• User accessibility: Solutions must be usable by passengers with varying degrees of visual impairment, including those who are fully blind.

 

User and operator acceptance are essential. Applicants should identify likely barriers to adoption by target passengers (for example, concerns about ease of use, safety, or stigma) and by transit operators (for example, integration effort, staff training, or ongoing maintenance) and outline practical measures to address them during the pilot and beyond.