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6 October 2026 · National and international edition

First National Household Travel Survey: Only 9% of Indians Take Public Transport to Work, 43% Ride Two-Wheelers

  • MoSPI
  • National Sample Survey
  • Urban Transport
  • Public Transport
  • Gender and Mobility

Why it is in the news

On 5 October 2026, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released findings of India's first-ever National Household Travel Survey (NHTS), conducted from July 2025 to June 2026. It found that only 9% of Indians use public transport to go to work, while 43% use two-wheelers and just 3% use cars; among urban workers travelling more than 1 km, 21.7% of women take a bus against 6.9% of men.

The exam angle

Issue: India's cities are growing on the back of private two-wheelers while public transport carries under a tenth of work trips, raising questions of efficiency, equity, safety and emissions.

Written for APPSC Group 1, TGPSC Group 1 and UPSC Civil Services. More from 6 October 2026 or all current affairs.

First National Household Travel Survey: Only 9% of Indians Take Public Transport to Work, 43% Ride Two-Wheelers · PrepShark