Only 9% use public transport to go to work

Why in the News

For the first time, India has a national survey of how households travel, and it finds that only 9% of Indians use public transport to get to work. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) ran the National Household Travel Survey (NHTS), which also shows women relying on buses far more than men.

What is the National Household Travel Survey, and why was it needed?

1. What it is: The NHTS is the first nationwide survey of how people travel, including how they get to work and what it costs them.
2. Coverage: It ran for a year, from July 2025 to June 2026.
3. Sample size: It drew on responses from 20 lakh people across villages and urban blocks nationwide.
4. Why it was needed: MoSPI wants evidence for regional transport planning, to find gaps, plan better routes and set how often buses and trains run.
5. The takeaway: Cities and States can now plan transport on measured travel patterns rather than estimates.

How do Indians get to work, and at what cost?

1. Private vehicles dominate: 43% of Indians ride two-wheelers to work, and only 3% use cars.
2. Public transport split: Among those travelling more than a kilometre to work, 6.7% take buses. The rest of the 9% use monorail, tram or rail.
3. Rail-based transit: Metro, suburban rail, monorail and trams carry 5% of urban work commutes nationally. Usage is far higher in Maharashtra, West Bengal and Delhi.
4. Urban commuting cost: Urban workers spend Rs 1,044 a month to get to work, against Rs 612 in rural areas, so city commutes cost far more.
5. National average: The average monthly spend on the work commute is Rs 785.

What does the survey say about women and free bus travel?

1. Women ride buses more: 21.7% of urban women with commutes over a kilometre take a bus, against 6.9% of urban men, about three times as many.
2. What counts as a bus: The category covers public, private, company and intercity buses.
3. State variation: Women’s bus use is highest in Keralam and Tamil Nadu, followed by Karnataka and Telangana.
4. Free travel policy: These figures support the decision of several States to offer free bus travel to women, since buses are already women’s main public mode.

Challenges

1. Weak last-mile links: Poor feeder services and footpaths push commuters to two-wheelers even where a metro exists.
2. Thin bus fleets: Many cities run far fewer buses than their population needs, so waits are long and buses crowded.
3. Fiscal strain of free rides: States must repay State transport undertakings, the State-owned bus operators, for free rides, which can delay fleet expansion.
4. Women’s safety: Harassment and poorly lit stops deter women from using buses at night.

Way Forward

1. Bus fleet expansion: Scale up electric bus deployment under the PM-eBus Sewa scheme in cities with low bus use.
2. Integrated planning: Use NHTS data in each city’s Comprehensive Mobility Plan, its long-term transport plan, to link buses, metro and walking routes.
3. Safety measures: Fund CCTV, panic buttons and lit bus stops through the Nirbhaya Fund.
4. Regular surveys: MoSPI should repeat the NHTS periodically so changes in travel can be tracked.

Conclusion

India’s first travel survey shows that the country commutes mainly on private two-wheelers, with buses serving women far more than men. Whether States and cities use the data to expand buses and link them to rail is what will decide if public transport’s share rises.

Key numbers

1. Urban women taking buses to work, by State: Keralam 46.8%, Tamil Nadu 41.1%, Karnataka 34.9%, Telangana 28.9%.
2. Rail-based share of urban work commutes, by State: Maharashtra 20.7%, West Bengal 16.5%, Delhi 14.4%.
3. Urban premium on commuting cost: 71% above rural spending.
4. NHTS sample: 14,274 villages and 10,377 urban blocks.

Back2Basics: Free bus travel for women

1. What it is: Several State governments let women ride State-run buses free, with the State paying the transport corporation.
2. Delhi: Free travel for women on Delhi Transport Corporation and cluster buses began in 2019.
3. Tamil Nadu and Karnataka: Tamil Nadu began free town bus travel for women in 2021. Karnataka’s Shakti scheme followed in 2023.
4. Telangana: The Mahalakshmi scheme gives women free travel on State-run buses from December 2023.

Matching Previous Year Question

“[2026] In what way(s) does the Vizhinjam International Seaport represent a structural shift in India’s maritime trade and logistics policy? 1. By functioning exclusively as a domestic cargo hub to reduce reliance on coastal shipping and eliminate the need for foreign collaborations. 2. By focusing primarily on passenger cruise tourism and heritage shipping to increase Kerala’s profile as a maritime heritage destination. 3. By leveraging its natural deep draft and strategic location to reduce dependence on foreign trans-shipment ports, enhance revenue retention, and reposition India in regional maritime trade. Select the answer using the code given below: (a) 1 only (b) 1 and 2 (c) 2 and 3 (d) 3 only ANSWER: D”