Last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked citizens to adopt austerity measures and use public transport and electric vehicles to reduce dependency on petrol and diesel amid the heightened disruption in global energy markets. A day later, many ministers reduced vehicles in their convoys, whereas the Delhi government announced a mandatory two days work from home. Other government departments were also seen taking similar steps and many social media users posted pictures while travelling in Metro rail services.

While these measures are likely to prove short-lived, the poor state of public transportation in most cities, growing dependence on private vehicles, and negligible corridors for walking and cycling remain a long-term concern. Most commuters usually revert to public transport not as an option, but out of compulsion.

This problem is exacerbated by the design of cities, coupled with the “prestige complex” among Indians — where vehicles, especially four-wheelers, take centre stage on the roads while pedestrians are pushed to the back seat. On almost any road, people have to walk cautiously, as vehicles encroach upon even the little space left on the pavement.

The Economic Survey for 2025-26 noted that the vital signs of our cities are poor, because roads are used more as storage for vehicles rather than corridors for people. 

“Streets become congested not because citizens are moving excessively, but because cars carry too few passengers. Our roads have been utilised as storage for low-occupancy vehicles instead of facilitating movement for people. This diagnosis leads to the guiding principle: design cities to prioritise the movement of people, not vehicles,” the survey said.

The National Urban Transport Policy, 2014, emphasises that people should occupy centre stage in India’s cities. The Economic Survey said that the solution lies in prioritising modes with the greatest carrying capacity across short and long distances. But even as private vehicles have their advantages, the problem arises when they become a necessity rather than one choice among several other viable options.

So, what is the current state of India’s public transport and what measures can be taken to close the gaps that exist? We explain.

When it comes to good public transport across India, the Delhi Metro stands out. Over years of phased and planned expansion, it has proved to be an infrastructure marvel, not only because of its stations, tracks, and rolling stock, but also because of the civic culture it has instilled among citizens. Many other cities have implemented Metro systems, but several of them are struggling with ridership issues, as their alignments do not pass through key areas.

As of 2025, almost 1,036 km of Metro are operational across some 24 cities, with further corridors under construction. Along with this, India’s first Rapid Rail Transport System (RRTS), the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Namo Bharat corridor, was made fully operational in February this year. Similarly, the Namo Bharat Rapid Rail is operational on two routes: Ahmedabad-Bhuj in Gujarat and Jaynagar-Patna in Bihar.

One of the world’s biggest railway systems, Mumbai’s suburban rail network carries an average 66 lakh passengers daily, serving commuters across Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan, Virar, and Panvel. Western Railway operates 1,414 services, including 133 airconditioned (AC) services, while Central Railway operates 1,820 services, including 94 AC services.

Despite Metros, suburban railways, and city buses, there is still a significant gap in India’s mass transportation system. According to the Economic Survey, city-level indicators reveal a capacity shortfall in buses. Although the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs says there should be 40-60 buses per 1,00,000 people, many cities have far fewer.

“Nationally, only about 47,650 buses serve its urban residents. Nearly 61% of these are concentrated in just nine megacities. Due to the layout of urban roads, low bus availability combined with high private vehicle use reduces person throughput per lane kilometre, leading to congestion and longer door-to-door travel times,” the survey said.

Door-to-door performance also depends on first-last mile access to stations. The survey said that “where safe and convenient first and last-mile options are lacking, rail systems underperform against ridership projections, despite high in-vehicle speeds. Cities are increasingly responding by integrating feeder services and publishing open transit data; without this, travel time reliability and perceived convenience remain below potential.”

The Central government launched the PM-eBus Sewa scheme to increase city bus operations with 10,000 e-buses on a public-private partnership model. This is backed by Central assistance of Rs 20,000 crore and a payment security mechanism to assure operator cash flows. In an official release, the government said that as of February 28, 2026, the tender for 6,228 buses was concluded under the scheme and the letter of award for 4,720 buses have been issued by public transport authorities.

The way out

The Economic Survey suggested a total of five measures to improve public transportation in cities. Besides increasing the number of buses per lakh population to 40-60, the entire fleet should be digitised to reduce waiting time and stabilise ridership.

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It has also recommended legalising and standardising shared feeder services like share autorickshaws, e-rickshaws, minibuses, and bike taxis through simple permits, station pickup bays, and app integration for door-to-door service. 

For financing these bus services, it said that a Green Mobility Credit Facility can lower tariffs on gross cost contracts and improve project bankability. 

The survey also suggested targeted “congestion pricing” for dense areas. This has been implemented in cities like Singapore and London, where drivers are charged a fee for using roads during peak periods of congestion. This aims to reduce the number of private vehicles on specific congested corridors, thus encouraging public transport and improving speed.