A smoother passage through India
The way that urban Indians commute and travel is set for a major transformation over the next few years. Following the widely hailed success of the Delhi Metro, which at times transports nearly a million passengers a day, other major Indian cities such as Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Kolkata are likewise looking to overhaul their public transport systems.

With the rapidly rising needs of overstretched public transport and cargo movement systems, India’s estimated US$5 billion

passenger bus and truck market is also in a state of flux. Public transport has long been an area of neglect in India and the systems as they exist are rudimentary and fail to cater effectively to rapid urbanization, economic growth and the population’s rising incomes.

Hundreds of thousands of cars daily congest India’s cities, creating a traffic and pollution nightmare due to the absence of comfortable, safe and reliable means to commute. However if things go to the government’s plan, like many other neglected aspects in India, this is set to change fundamentally, providing important efficiency gains and a potential boost to overall national competitiveness.