The existence of the right policy regime is a precondition to any organisation achieving its objectives, and this is more so in the case of public transport systems. The central government announced the National Urban Transport Policy in 2006, a policy which aims to provide the appropriate framework for addressing transport-related challenges in India's cities. This paper examines the policy document and compares it with the policy regime now prevailing. Observing that the new policy has almost as many weaknesses as strengths, it points to the huge gap between the NUTP and the reality on the country's urban roads. It also suggests what could be done on the policy front to streamline urban public transport systems.
