# Hubli-Dharwad Bus Rapid Transit System

Hubli-Dharwad Bus Rapid Transit System (HDBRTS) is a bus rapid transit system built to serve the twin cities of Hubali and Dharwad, located in the North-Western part of Karnataka state in India. Hubali-Dharwad BRTS (HDBRTS) project is a Government of Karnataka initiative to foster long-term economic growth in the region. The project promotes fast, safe, comfortable, convenient and affordable public transportation between the twin cities and aims to reduce congestion and air pollution in the region.
The 22.5 km (14.0 mi) dedicated BRT corridor with holistic BRT components connects Hubali and Dharwad. This system will not only transport 17500 (1.75 lakh) daily passengers currently using the buses on this corridor but also provide safe, sustainable & efficient alternative for the private vehicle users travelling on this corridor.
The Hubali-Dharwad BRTS project was implemented as part of the Sustainable Urban Transport Project (SUTP) and funded by the Government of Karnataka, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MHUA), World Bank and Global Environment Facility (GEF). The total cost of the project is ₹970.87 Cr.

## Hubali-Dharwad BRTS Company Limited

The Hubali-Dharwad BRTS Company Ltd, a special purpose vehicle (SPV), is the nodal agency that implemented the BRT System. In addition to the managing director, the company also has four Deputy General Managers (Admin, Finance, Infrastructure, and Operations & ITS) and a Chief Security Officer .

### Board of directors

* Commissioner, Directorate of Urban Land Transport, Government of Karnataka - chairman of the board.
* Deputy Commissioner, Dharwad
* Managing Director, NWKRTC
* Managing Director, KRDCL
* Managing Director, HDBRTS
* Commissioner of Police, Hubali-Dharwad Police
* Additional Commissioner, Department of Transport & Enf, North Zone, Dharwad
* Commissioner, HDMC
* Commissioner, HDUDA
* Chief Engineer, PWD, CAB, North Zone, Dharwad

## BRT corridor

The length of the Hubali-Dharwad BRTS corridor is 22.25 km (13.83 mi) from CBT Hubali to CBT–Dharwad with the width of the cross-sections ranging from 44m to 35m. The BRTS corridor includes segregated bus lanes, access-controlled bus stations, physical and fare integration with BRT feeder services. In addition, there is a system of off-board ticketing through smart cards and bar-coded paper tickets, an intelligent transport system and high-quality buses (Standard AC buses). The corridor has been designed for operating regular and express services. It consists of two lanes for BRTS buses on either side of the median bus station, facilitating overtaking lanes for express services. Foot bridges at six locations, Pelican signals, and synchronized signal management are proposed to facilitate the easy approach of passengers to bus stations.

## Bus stations

32 stations have been constructed on the median along the BRTS corridor. Based on the passenger load and interchange opportunity, there are 7 three-bay bus stations and 24 two-bay bus stations.

## Supporting infrastructure

* BRTS Depot, Hubballi
* BRTS Terminal, Hubballi
* Old Bus Station, Dharwad
* Central Workshop, Dharwad
* BRTS Terminal, Dharwad
* Interchange at Hosur

## Intelligent Transportation System (ITS)

* Automated Vehicle Location (AVL) system provides tracking and operations management of buses using GPS based vehicle tracking system. Information on real time location of buses allows dissemination of estimated time of arrival and departure, which enhances customer experience.
* Automated Fare Collection System (AFCS) is primarily to cater the fare collection needs of the BRT buses, feeder services and the city buses in Hubballi and Dharwad cities. As part of AFCS, the stations have Fare Gates similar to Metro Rail systems for off-board ticketing.
* Platform screen doors (PSD): One of a kind half height platform screen doors for proper air circulation. The Platform sliding doors works based on the RFID technology. The doors only open after the docking of the buses.
* Passenger Information System (PIS) consists of multiple ways of sharing next bus arrival information with commuters. This includes Display Boards, IVRS, SMS, Mobile App and Commuter Portal. The commuters can easily manage their trip details, smart card recharge using the mobile app and website.
* Incident Management System (IMS) to reduce response time, monitor key areas and to ensure effectiveness of BRT services. It includes the ANPR system to maintain discipline and enforce the non-BRT vehicles using the BRT corridor. CCTV cameras, Video wall, Network management system, fault monitoring system are all included in the Incident Management Systems.
* Transit Management System (TMS) consisting of: Schedule & Crew Management; Depot & Terminal Management Systems; Workshop Management Systems; Inventory/Asset Management Systems; Human Resources; Finance consisting of Payroll, Accounts Receivable, General Ledger, etc.; and Customer Feedback. This is a modern and integrated Transit Management System which sets it apart other transit agencies in India.
* City Mobility Centre (CMC) - the control centre/transit management centre for the project operations. In this single location all systems can be accessed, and decisions can be made.
* Adaptive Traffic Control System (ATCS) with bus priority phasing is implemented for the first time for BRT in India. This system work on the real time vehicle demand on the respective arm of the junction. The system uses data from vehicle detectors installed in each arm of the junction and optimize traffic signal settings to reduce vehicle delays and stops.

## Buses

One hundred "Chigari" (ಚಿಗರಿ, meaning "Black buck" in Kannada), custom-built buses with violet livery, made by UD Trucks, buses division (a subsidiary of Isuzu, Japan), form the fleet of the Hubballi-Dharwad BRTS Company. HDBRTS system is the best of its kind in India, with premium 12 m AC buses to ensure passenger comfort and safety at an affordable rate. The BRT buses are BS-IV compliant, meeting UBS-II specifications, with a provision for wheelchairs and baby buggies. The buses are facilitated with on-board ITS for real-time passenger information, CCTV surveillance for safety and an announcement system. The bus has seating capacity of 37 + 1, with reservation for ladies (12), senior citizens (2) and specially-abled (2).

## Routes

| Bus ID | Type | Route |
| 200D-U | All Stops | Hubballi Old Bus Station - Dharwad BRTS Terminal |
| 201B-D | All Stops | Dharwad New Bus Station - SSS Hubballi Junction Railway Station |
| 201B-U | All Stops | SSS Hubballi Junction Railway Station - Dharwad New Bus Station |
| 200D-D | All Stops | Dharwad BRTS Terminal - Hubballi Old Bus Station |
| 200A-A | All Stops | Dharwad BRTS Terminal - Hubballi City Bus Station |
| 200A-U | All Stops | Hubballi City Bus Station - Dharwad BRTS Terminal |
| 100D-U | Limited Stops | Hubballi Old Bus Station - Dharwad BRTS Terminal |
| 100D-D | Limited Stops | Dharwad BRTS Terminal - Hubballi Old Bus Station |

## Timing

The BRTS buses run from morning 6 am to 11 midnight. The duty hours of the ticket-issuing staff at the BRTS stations ends at 10 pm, after which, i.e., up to midnight, the passengers have to get the ticket from the conductor in the bus itself.

### Frequency

| No | Time | Frequency |
| 1 | 6 am to 8:30 am | 4 minute |
| 2 | 8:30 am to 12 pm | 3 minute |
| 3 | 12 pm to 4 pm | 25 minute |
| 4 | 4 pm to 8 pm | 15 minute |
| 5 | 8 pm to 10 pm | 5-6 minute |
| 6 | 10 pm to midnight | 15 minute |

## Feeder Buses

HDBRTS and NWKRTC started BRTS feeder buses named 'Chigari Samparka' on 16 December 2022. On a pilot basis, NWKRTC has started operating feeder buses between Sutagatti and Navanagar.

## Feeder Bus Routes

| Route | Via |
| Navanagar/Sutagatti to Dharwad New Bus Stand | Karnataka Circle, Basaveshwara Circle (Navanagar), Cancer Hospital, Navanagar, RTO BRTS Station, Karnataka State Law University, Amar Nagar, Sutagatti |
| Sutagatti to Navanagar | Karnataka Circle, Basaveshwara Circle (Navanagar), Cancer Hospital, Navanagar, RTO BRTS Station, Karnataka State Law University, Amar Nagar, Sutagatti |
| Navanagar/Sutagatti to Gandhinagar, Dharwad | Karnataka Circle, Basaveshwara Circle (Navanagar), Cancer Hospital, Navanagar, RTO BRTS Station, Karnataka State Law University, Amar Nagar, Sutagatti |
| Navanagar/Sutagatti to SDM Hospital | Karnataka Circle, Basaveshwara Circle (Navanagar), Cancer Hospital, Navanagar, RTO BRTS Station, Karnataka State Law University, Amar Nagar, Sutagatti |
| Navanagar/Sutagatti to CBT, Hubballi or Hubballi Railway Station | Karnataka Circle, Basaveshwara Circle (Navanagar), Cancer Hospital, Navanagar, RTO BRTS Station, Karnataka State Law University, Amar Nagar, Sutagatti |
| Navanagar/Sutagatti to Hubballi Old Bus Stand or HDMC | Karnataka Circle, Basaveshwara Circle (Navanagar), Cancer Hospital, Navanagar, RTO BRTS Station, Karnataka State Law University, Amar Nagar, Sutagatti |
| Navanagar/Sutagatti to KLE Technological University | Karnataka Circle, Basaveshwara Circle (Navanagar), Cancer Hospital, Navanagar, RTO BRTS Station, Karnataka State Law University, Amar Nagar, Sutagatti |

## Project Status

HDBRTS commenced trial runs on 2 October 2018. The first trial run was initiated over an 8 km stretch between Hubballi Railway Station and Srinagar. The trial runs were slowly extended over the 20 km stretch between Hubballi and Dharwad. Different types of services were introduced during the trial run, like all-stops, limited-stops and non-stop. The fleet size has been increased, and HDBRTS currently operates a fleet of 100 buses with approximately 1,240 trips per day. Approximately 100,000 passengers travel with HDBRTS every day. The "Chigari" buses operate in "limited-stop" and "all-stop" modes. The travel time for "limited-stop" services is 35 minutes and for "all-stop" services is 55 minutes. Smart Card Archived 10 August 2023 at the Wayback Machine, Web-portal and Mobile Application were launched on 10 January 2020.

## Green BRTS

Green BRTS is an initiative of the Hubballi Dharwad BRTS Company Ltd., as a result of which, tree saplings have been planted at various locations in Hubballi and Dharwad. The Hubballi Dharwad BRTS Company Ltd. has planted approximately 27,500 saplings over a period of 5 years in the premises of government offices, schools, colleges and eco-parks.
Approximately 5,000 saplings have been planted along the HDBRTS corridor. An initiative to map the plantation under Green BRTS was started in June 2016 by the Directorate of Urban Land Transport and Hubballi Dharwad BRTS Company Ltd. This mapping initiative supports an online public platform for intimating to the government, or otherwise ascertaining from the government the status of the plantation. This will also help in analyzing the growth, survival rate, etc., of the trees at different stages. In addition, the effective selection of locations and species, maintenance schedule, etc., with public participation are a significant part of future plans.

## Awards

* "Award of Excellence-2019" under "Best Urban Mass Transit Project" by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India. Archived 28 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine