In a previous instalment of this series, we reported how residents displaced from the Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad, Gujarat had been resettled in areas like Odhav — some 15 kilometres from the city — where they now live in relative isolation.
Like Odhav, Batwa is another site where slum dwellers removed from the riverfront have been relocated. Unlike Odhav, Batwa is home to more than 10,000 people — not just 150 families — but here too, there is no city-run Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service (AMTS) bus connectivity.
Given the large population, shared auto-rickshaws are available throughout the day. Yet women like Sabina face the same struggles as Babli, another displaced worker. Sabina used to work in households around Jamalpur; she continues to work there, but her commute now costs Rs 80 one way. She travels from Batwa to Lal Darwaza via a shared auto for Rs 30, then takes another auto for Rs 50. The journey takes three hours both ways, but her salary has not changed.
Her neighbour, Hamida, has stopped working altogether due to the difficulty of commuting. “It is women who have suffered the most by being sent so far from the city,” she said. “They either had to quit their jobs or spend two to three hours commuting. Earlier, that time went to the family.”
Only one bus arrives in Batwa in the morning and one in the evening — hardly sufficient for such a large population. Locals say a bus depot should be established. For now, most residents depend on shared auto-rickshaws. But since shared autos are time-consuming, many people are purchasing two-wheelers on instalments.
This is a growing challenge in Ahmedabad’s resettled peripheries. But even within the city, the main problem remains the absence of last-mile connectivity. According to the study Ahmedabad: Multimodal Integration and Last Mile Connectivity by the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT) University, while many residents prefer public transport, poor last-mile connectivity limits its use.
The study found that residents are keen to use services like the Metro, Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) and Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service (AMTS), but the lack of easy and safe access to and from stations pushes them towards private vehicles. Many areas of the city lack adequate pedestrian infrastructure or feeder services to cover the ‘first and last mile’. As a result, public transport usage remains limited.
The CEPT study revealed that around 67 per cent of public transport users in Ahmedabad must switch modes of transport due to the lack of last-mile connectivity. On average, 50 per cent of total travel time is consumed in first- and last-mile journeys, including a wait time of around 10 minutes. Although public transport costs about half as much as private options, it takes twice as long.
A 2024 survey by the Centre for Development reported that while 49 per cent of men in Ahmedabad commute for work, a close 43 per cent of women do so too. For shopping trips, women outnumber men — 34 per cent of women travel for shopping compared to 29 per cent of men. The next most frequent travel purpose is education.
Here too, women surpass men: 22 per cent of women commute daily for education versus 18 per cent of men. In terms of travel frequency, 77 per cent of men and 70 per cent of women make at least two trips a day, while 13 per cent of men make three trips.
People living in different kinds of settlements spend very differently on commuting. A study examining monthly household transport expenditure as a percentage of income found that higher-income households spend the least. By contrast, those in slums and lower-income groups (economically backward class and low income group) spend up to 40 per cent of their monthly income on transport. This shows that the urban poor are disproportionately affected, lacking access to private vehicles and relying on expensive rickshaws.
Nearly half of Ahmedabad’s residents use autorickshaws — either private or shared. Around 70 per cent of women and 47 per cent of men commute this way. An estimated 200,000 autos ply the city, of which 80 per cent operate as shuttles.
Among men, two-wheelers remain the preferred mode: 35 per cent use them, compared to 11 per cent of women. Only 7 per cent of men and 5 per cent of women use public transport, while 8 per cent of men and 12 per cent of women walk to their destinations.
When Down to Earth visited Ahmedabad, one striking observation stood out: Unlike other major Indian cities, there are no e-rickshaws in operation. This forces people to walk longer distances to reach main roads. It may explain why nearly every household in Ahmedabad owns a two-wheeler. CEPT researchers recommended that authorities promote footpaths, cycle tracks, shared autos and e-rickshaws to strengthen last-mile connectivity. Doing so could ease congestion and benefit the environment.
Ahmedabad’s air quality is neither the worst nor the best. According to the Tracing the Hazy Air 2025: Progress Report on National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), published by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air in January 2025, Ahmedabad ranked 106th in particulate matter (PM) 10 levels and 65th in PM2.5 among 253 Indian cities.
The Times of India newspaper reported that in 2024, Ahmedabad experienced over seven months of polluted air. The Central Pollution Control Board presented data in Parliament showing that the city recorded 231 days of air quality rated ‘moderate’ or worse.
A separate study by the Gujarat Environment Management Institute identified vehicle emissions, industrial discharge, construction activity and road dust as key contributors to Ahmedabad’s air pollution. Notably, the annual growth rate of registered motor vehicles in the city is five times greater than population growth. Vehicles emit particulate matter through exhaust, brake and tyre wear and by re-suspending dust from road surfaces.
Vehicle ownership in Ahmedabad has surged over the past decade. According to the Ahmedabad Climate Resilient City Action Plan Towards a Net Zero Future (July 2023), registered vehicles rose from 2.38 million in 2009-10 to 3.9 million in 2021-22 — a 65 per cent increase. Two-wheelers comprise 75 per cent of the total, followed by four-wheelers (18 per cent), three-wheelers (4 per cent) and other vehicles (3 per cent). Between 2011 and 2021, four-wheelers tripled and two-wheelers doubled. The number of autorickshaws grew from 40,944 in 2011 to 170,000 in 2021.
As per official figures, Ahmedabad’s population is approximately 7.4 million, while more than 4.39 million vehicles are registered across its three regional transport offices — equating to nearly one vehicle for every two residents.
Fuel-wise, CNG vehicle registration has grown sharply, but diesel vehicle numbers remain high. In 2021, 6,966 CNG vehicles were registered; by 2024, that number had jumped to 20,854 — nearly 200 per cent more. However, diesel vehicle registrations also rose from 19,601 in 2021 to 34,726 in 2024 (a 77 per cent increase). As of May 31, 2025, another 13,691 diesel vehicles have already been added.
Petrol vehicle registrations, on the other hand, are declining — down from 174,832 in 2021 to 108,186 in 2024, a 38 per cent drop — likely due to rising fuel prices.
Electric vehicle (EV) adoption has risen in the past two years. While battery-operated vehicles have been in use since 2021 (2,127 registered that year), registrations rose to 20,615 in 2023 before dropping to 12,374 in 2024. Pure EV registrations began only in 2024, with 6,467 that year and 5,510 more by the end of May 2025.
Ahmedabad was one of the early adopters of the BRTS to boost public transport use. India’s first BRTS began in Pune in 2006 and Ahmedabad’s Janmarg BRTS was launched in 2009. Delhi also experimented with BRTS in 2008, but later scrapped it following public resistance.
BRTS corridors give priority to buses on dedicated lanes. According to a CEPT study, although Janmarg introduced modern buses and segregated lanes, it failed to serve the poor and low-income groups. For many, especially women and slum residents, fares remain too high compared to AMTS or shared autos. Additionally, the system lacks promised infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists.
In short, the BRTS has remained a technical solution, while social and economic access needs were overlooked.
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. This story is the second in the Ahmedabad mobility series. Also read the first part.