NEW DELHI: The capital’s public transport system may boast one of the country’s largest Metro networks and an extensive bus fleet, but a new study by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) has found that nearly 60% of all trips in the city are shorter than four kilometres, while 80% are under six kilometres.
Despite the predominance of short-distance travel, the city’s bus network remains largely geared towards long-haul routes, leaving millions struggling with first- and last-mile connectivity.
The report, titled “Neighborhood Public Transit Services: Situational Analysis of Bus-Based Public Transport Supply in Delhi”, found that nearly 31% of Delhi’s urban neighbourhoods lie beyond a 500-metre walking distance from a bus stop, the benchmark for walkable transit access under India’s Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) policy.
The findings reveal a stark mismatch between how Delhi residents travel and how public transport is planned. “While Delhi has invested significantly in Metro expansion and bus procurement, access to affordable and reliable neighbourhood mobility remains inadequate,” the study noted. As a result, many commuters are forced to walk long distances or rely on costly auto-rickshaws and informal transport services to complete everyday journeys.
According to the study, the gaps are particularly severe in densely populated areas such as Deoli, Jaitpur, Sangam Vihar, Mustafabad, Ghonda, Sainik Enclave, Hari Nagar Extension and Prem Nagar. Researchers found that these wards had no buildings located within 500 metres of a bus stop, effectively placing formal public transport beyond easy reach for residents.
The study highlighted that conventional 12-metre buses are ill-suited for many of Delhi’s narrow internal roads and densely populated settlements. Instead, it recommended deploying smaller, high-frequency electric neighbourhood buses capable of operating on roads as narrow as seven metres. “First- and last-mile connectivity remain critical challenges that hinder the scaling up of bus services in cities. The Delhi Electric Vehicle Interconnector (DEVI) Bus initiative is a significant step towards addressing this gap and could become a model for other Indian cities,” said Amit Bhatt, Managing Director, ICCT India.
Researchers also recommended restricting neighbourhood bus routes to a five-kilometre radius from depots to improve operational efficiency and support electric charging requirements. According to the DTC website, 2,630 buses are operated by DTC, of which 2,579 are AC buses and 51 are CNG buses. Meanwhile, 2,817 buses are operated by the state transport department, taking the total number of buses in city to 5,447.