Delhi
UMR Index
Score: 37.7%
Sustainable Mobility
Score: 33.9%
Public Transit
Score: 40.8%
| Population | 32.6 million |
| Surface area (km2) | 2,344 |
| Population-density (people/km2) | 13,901 |
| GDP per capita ($) | 8,324 |
What Delhi Does Well in Urban Mobility
Delhi's public transit system has a diverse selection of transportation options and an easy-to-use multimodal app to navigate across the system.
Delhi is a leader among its peers in mobility-related spending, notably with government investments in electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and incentives for EV purchases and usage.
Urban Mobility Readiness Index, Sustainable Mobility and Public Transit scores
Challenges and Opportunities for Delhi’s Transportation System
The growing use of personal cars and motorbikes has worsened Delhi’s air quality and traffic safety. The city is investing in public transit to attract more riders. An expansion of the metro to increase its length by nearly a third, to 457 kilometers (284 miles), is due to come into service starting in 2025.
A combination of hot, rainy weather and a lack of dedicated cycling infrastructure makes Delhi a challenging city for cyclists. Recent efforts to upgrade the infrastructure focused on connecting neighborhoods with commercial centers. A project from the Delhi Development Authority to redesign 540 kilometers (335 miles) of city roads will include additional cycling lanes, in particular in the city’s large suburb of Dwarka.
Dimensions of the Urban Mobility Readiness Index score
How Delhi Can Improve Its Public Transportation and Sustainable Mobility
Delhi's public transit network operates an average of 18 hours a day. The city could improve its metro and tram offering by extending operating hours; Sydney's network, for example, operates on average 21 hours a day. Going in that direction would require investments in more trains, hiring additional drivers, and increasing police and security presence on trains and platforms during night hours.
With relatively high fares compared with household income, Delhi has one of the least affordable public transit systems in the region. To help close this gap with other Asia-Pacific cities, Delhi can provide government backed subsidies for transit fares. This can be accomplished in multiple ways, including lowering the price of fares for everyone, lowering fares on an income basis, or selling long-term passes, such as monthly or quarterly, that discount fares for heavy transit users. The city introduced subsidies for e-rickshaws in 2020 to improve first- and last-mile connectivity for commuters.