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A new study by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) has revealed that although six in ten daily trips in Delhi are under four kilometres, the city’s public transport system continues to be dominated by long-route buses that are ill-suited for short-distance urban mobility.
The findings highlight an urgent need to restructure services to better align with the everyday travel needs of residents, particularly by introducing smaller, electric buses for neighbourhood-level travel.
Titled ‘Neighbourhood Public Transit Services: Situational Analysis of Bus-Based Public Transport Supply in Delhi’, the study offered a spatially detailed analysis of Delhi’s bus network.
Drawing on Geographic Information System (GIS) data, ward-level statistics, and route information from the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and the Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS), the research found that around 31 per cent of Delhi’s urban neighbourhoods do not have a bus stop within 500 metres.
This distance is widely regarded as the benchmark for walkable access under India’s Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) policy.
Despite the capital’s progress in expanding its metro network and inducting new buses under various government initiatives, access to affordable and reliable local transport remains inadequate for many.
For thousands of residents, everyday travel involves long walks or expensive last-mile connections, conditions that dissuade public transport use and contribute to increased congestion and pollution.
Among the most underserved areas are municipal wards such as Deoli, Jaitpur, Sangam Vihar, Mustafabad, Ghonda, Sainik Enclave, Hari Nagar Extension and Prem Nagar, which were found to have no buildings located within 500 metres of a public bus stop.
The study notes that while Delhi has a vast public transport network, it lacks true accessibility in many dense neighbourhoods, particularly where traditional 12-metre buses are unable to operate due to narrow streets and other physical constraints.
It strongly recommends the deployment of smaller, 9-metre electric buses designed for intrazonal, short-distance routes, especially on roads that are seven metres wide or more. These vehicles are more suited to the urban layout of many Delhi localities and can play a vital role in closing the accessibility gap.
In a step towards this direction, the Delhi Government has launched the Delhi Electric Vehicle Interconnector (DEVI) scheme, under which these smaller buses are now being introduced.
Flagged off by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, the DEVI buses are intended to serve as last-mile and neighbourhood connectors in areas where larger buses cannot operate effectively. The ICCT has supported the planning and consultation process for this initiative, including route assessment and stakeholder engagement.
Experts from the ICCT stress that addressing first and last-mile connectivity is critical for the success of any public transport network.
Amit Bhatt, India Managing Director at ICCT, pointed to successful models abroad, such as Community Buses in Japan and Quartiersbusse in Germany, and said that India’s DEVI buses could follow a similar path.
“If successful, this scheme could not only benefit Delhi but also have a strong ripple effect across other cities in the country,” he said.
Bhaumik Gowande, Associate Researcher at ICCT, explained that the GIS-based research helps identify gaps and opportunities for more equitable transit access by mapping physical and demand indicators. Revathy Pradeep, another researcher involved in the study, emphasised the importance of integrating electric buses into local planning frameworks to ensure cleaner air and greater connectivity at the neighbourhood level.
Among the key findings of the study are that over 31 per cent of Delhi’s neighbourhoods lack a bus stop within a 500-metre walk; several wards have no buildings at all within this distance from a bus stop.
Government data shows that 60 per cent of trips in Delhi are under four kilometres, and 80 per cent under 6 kilometres.
In areas like Dwarka, where average trips are only 4.3 kilometres within a five-kilometre radius, the lack of local bus connectivity means residents are forced to rely on motorised or informal modes of travel, even in metro-accessible zones.
The current fleet of full-sized buses is best suited for trunk routes and fails to provide adequate coverage in high-density, low-accessibility areas. The study recommends deploying smaller electric buses within a five-kilometre radius of bus depots to minimise non-revenue kilometres and enable efficient battery charging.
The ICCT report makes a compelling case for a shift towards neighbourhood-level transport planning. By redesigning routes to suit local demand and street layouts, and by investing in smaller, more agile electric buses, Delhi has the opportunity to build a more inclusive and sustainable public transport system that meets the needs of all its residents.
This article is part of our series on how India moves, which looks at the relationship between air quality and human mobility in cities and towns.