Shifting focus to Last Mile Connectivity through NMT

Public Transportation in India: An Overview

India's growing urbanisation has boosted the demand for transportation in cities and surrounding areas, with commuters making many long trips each day. This has resulted in an increased demand for public transportation. Public transportation accounts for 30% of journeys in cities with populations of one to two million, 42% in cities with populations of two to five million, and 63% in cities with more than five million populations.

However, due to the insufficiency of public transit in fulfilling demand, reliance on private vehicles has grown tremendously.

As a result, between 1961 and 2011, the number of cities in India expanded threefold (from 2,363 to 7,935), and the urban population increased fivefold (from 79 million to 377 million), while the number of private vehicles climbed 200 times (from 0.7 million to 142 million). Metropolitan cities account for most of this private vehicular expansion, with New Delhi at the forefront.

In Indian cities, intermediate public transportation (IPT) modes such as auto-rickshaws, cycle rickshaws, battery rickshaws, and taxis account for up to 8% of daily trips. IPT modes are convenient but also expensive to utilise; frequently, they cost the commuter more than 50% of the overall fee. Furthermore, compared to public transportation systems, they can only convey a limited number of commuters, taking up more road space.

Commuters may also encounter site-specific difficulties. For example, public transit may be too far to reach, necessitate navigating uneven footpaths and dangerous street crossings, or may not be safe, particularly for female passengers. Furthermore, an unfavourable and dangerous pedestrian environment forces commuters to rely on private vehicles.