As Delhi pushes public transport use, commuters flag overcrowding, poor connectivity

Delhi's push for public transport faces challenges as commuters cite overcrowded metros, infrequent buses, and poor infrastructure, making travel difficult.

As the Delhi government urges residents to shift towards public transport as part of its fuel conservation and austerity push, commuters across the city say overcrowded metro coaches, infrequent buses, unsafe and unreliable last-mile connectivity, and poor pedestrian infrastructure continue to make daily travel exhausting and inconvenient.

As Delhi pushes public transport use, commuters flag overcrowding, poor connectivity

In a push to public transport use under the “Monday Metro” campaign, chief minister Rekha Gupta and cabinet ministers also used public transport to commute on Monday.

For 25-year-old Sonu Choudhary, the cooling zone near Gate No 3 of the Delhi Metro station at Jama Masjid offered temporary relief on Monday while he waited nearly an hour for a DTC bus to Pul Prahladpur near Badarpur.

“It’s been almost an hour, but the bus on Route 405 still hasn’t arrived. Luckily, the cooling zone is just a few steps away, so the wait hasn’t been too difficult. There are only a limited number of buses operating on the Badarpur route, so long waits have become routine,” said Choudhary.

Choudhary, who works in Hauz Khas, said his daily commute has become increasingly difficult because of overcrowding in the metro and limited bus availability. He added that buses in outer Delhi are often perceived as unsafe for women commuters.

“We usually prefer that a family member accompany them when travelling to distant parts of the city,” he said.

Many commuters said they increasingly rely on autos, cabs and e-rickshaws for convenience despite the higher cost.

Fifty-three-year-old Daljeet Kaur, who travelled from Rajouri Garden to Chandni Chowk for wedding shopping on Monday, said changing metro lines and navigating crowded stations had become physically exhausting.

“There is such an overwhelming rush on the metro that we rarely get a seat and are forced to travel standing. Youngsters may be able to manage it, but at my age, commuting feels physically draining and changing metro lines has become a struggle. That’s why we chose to take an auto instead, even if it costs us more,” Kaur said.

Street vendor Dinesh Singh Thagunna, 42, who travels daily from Bhajanpura to the Red Fort area, said e-rickshaws provide more reliable last-mile connectivity than buses.

“I find the bus route from Bhajanpura to Red Fort via the Shastri Park flyover and Kashmiri Gate far too long. During the early morning hours, the traffic is unbearable, which makes the journey even more exhausting. That’s why we prefer taking an e-rickshaw. It drops us just a few steps away from the spot near Omaxe Mall where we set up our roadside bag shop,” he said.

Delhi currently operates roughly half the estimated 12,000 buses required for the city’s population and travel demand, according to transport sector estimates. At the same time, several bus routes have been modified under the ongoing route rationalisation exercise, while commuters in many areas continue to report missing or damaged bus stops.

Transport planners said the city’s public transport infrastructure has struggled to keep pace with growing demand.

Sarika Panda Bhatt, co-founder of the Raahgiri Foundation, said bus shortages continue to affect accessibility across several parts of the city.

“The metro network has expanded rapidly, but the supporting bus network and pedestrian infrastructure have not kept pace. Public transport systems function efficiently only when first-mile and last-mile connectivity are reliable and affordable,” she said.

According to traffic safety expert Geetam Tiwari from IIT Delhi’s Transportation Research and Injury Prevention Centre (TRIP Centre), Delhi needs to have the political and bureaucratic will to design better infrastructure, including good footpaths, so that people are encouraged to use them, she added.

“A large section of commuters still depend on walking to access metro stations and bus stops. In many areas, footpaths are either missing, encroached upon or not designed according to standards, making commuting difficult,” she said.

With the metro emerging as the city’s primary mode of mass transit, many commuters said the lack of reliable alternatives has further intensified crowding during peak hours, even as informal last-mile systems such as e-rickshaws and autos continue to fill critical connectivity gaps.