Two-wheelers carry 42.6% of Indian workers, while buses and trains just 9%

Economy No. 55 9 October 2026 · 3 min read

India's statistics office (NSO, part of MoSPI) released its first-ever National Household Travel Survey on 5 October 2026. It surveyed 4,92,023 households, covering over 20 lakh people, on how they travelled between July 2025 and June 2026. Only trips longer than 1 km count.

Two-wheelers are the most common way to get to work. 42.6% of workers who travel to work use them. In cities, the share rises to 52.3%, while in villages it is 37.1%.

Buses and trains play a much smaller role. Buses carry 6.7% of workers, metro and suburban trains 2.1%, and other trains 0.2%. Together, that is 9%. Walking accounts for another 28.3% of workers, cycling 10.7%, and cars 3%.

Metros and suburban trains are important in a few places, though. They carry 5% of city workers across India, but the share rises to 20.7% in Maharashtra, 16.5% in West Bengal and 14.4% in Delhi. Students have different travel habits: 37% walk to their place of study and 29.5% take a bus. Only 6.7% use two-wheelers.

Most workers do not take long or spend much getting to work. 83.4% reach work in under 30 minutes. The average monthly cost is ₹785, but it is higher in cities at ₹1,044 than in villages at ₹612.

There is also a gap between men and women. 61.9% of male workers travel more than 1 km to work daily, compared with 41.9% of female workers. Women also spend less on their commute, averaging ₹533 a month against ₹835 for men.

The survey was partly designed to meet the Ministry of Railways' data needs. But railways matter more for overnight trips than daily commutes. Of all household overnight trips, inter-city trains carry 17.7%, while buses lead at 55.8%.

This is India's first nationwide household travel survey, so there is no earlier survey to compare it with. But the picture is clear, daily travel depends heavily on two-wheelers and walking. Buses and trains together carry fewer than 1 in 10 workers, while metro and suburban trains have a significant share mainly in a few states.

Bars of how workers who travel more than 1 km get to work, villages against cities: two-wheeler 37.1% and 52.3%, walk 36.6% and 13.5%, bicycle 13.4% and 5.8%, bus or train 5.9% and 14.5%, auto-rickshaw 5.0% and 8.8%, car 1.5% and 5.7%.

Metro and suburban trains carry 5% of India's city workers

City workers who commute by metro, monorail, suburban rail or tram, July 2025 to June 2026. In Maharashtra the share is 4 times India's.

% OF CITY WORKERS WHO TRAVEL TO WORK

The press note names only these 3 states. Workers aged 15 and above who travel more than 1 km to work.

MoSPI (NSO), National Household Travel Survey, press note of 5 October 2026 · Jul 2025 to Jun 2026

Fewer women workers than men make a daily work trip

Workers aged 15 and above who make a daily trip of more than 1 km to work, July 2025 to June 2026. The gap is widest in villages: 59.6% of men, 37.7% of women.

% OF WORKERS WHO MAKE A DAILY WORK TRIP

MenWomen

Trips of more than 1 km only. Women workers who do travel also spend less on it: ₹533 a month against ₹835 for men.

MoSPI (NSO), National Household Travel Survey, press note of 5 October 2026 · Jul 2025 to Jun 2026

Pie of household overnight trips by mode: bus 55.8%, inter-city train 17.7%, car 15.1%, two-wheeler 8.8%, other 2.6%.

Sources