National Survey Shows Just Nine Percent of Indians Use Public Transit for Work

Only nine percent of Indians primarily use public transport to go to work, according to the first-ever household travel survey by the statistics ministry.

Commute Costs

People in urban areas spend Rs 1,044 per month to commute to work, which is 71 percent more than the Rs 612 spent in rural areas. The national average monthly expenditure to go to work stands at Rs 785.

Bus Travel And Women

More than a fifth of urban women use buses to go to work, which is three times higher than urban males. In certain states, the share of urban women commuting by bus is much higher, reaching 46.8 percent in Keralam, 41.1 percent in Tamil Nadu, 34.9 percent in Karnataka, and 28.9 percent in Telangana. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay recently expanded the free bus travel scheme in the state by removing the limit on daily trips, a move expected to benefit over 84 lakh women.

Survey Details

The National Household Travel Survey was conducted from July 2025 to June 2026 and gathered responses from 20 lakh people across 14,274 villages and 10,377 urban blocks. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation released the findings on Monday, noting that the data aims to help in regional transport planning and infrastructure developments.

Context

Understanding how citizens travel helps local governments design better roads, railways, and bus networks to reduce traffic jams. Reliable transport data is essential for planning urban growth as more people move from villages to cities for jobs.