Do you take the metro to college everyday? So do they! Read to know their experience!

India’s public transport system is a paradox — it’s a lifeline to millions, carrying dreams back and forth every day, yet sometimes it carries tragedies too.

Millions of people board buses and trains daily, pushing them beyond their maximum capacity, transforming every journey into a test of endurance.

By 2029, an astonishing 1.2 billion people are expected to rely on India’s public transportation, a number as vast as the challenges it faces, according to a report by Statista.

Every morning, what you’d expect to be a smooth bus ride turns into a battlefield with an army of elbows jostling to find space under a constant hum of frustration.  

According to a T4A survey by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, 68% of commuters point to overcrowding as their primary source of discomfort. 

Most of these travellers, 63%, are young adults over 19, many of whom are students or working professionals. 

Manogna Bedadakota, a 21-year-old intern new to Mumbai, took the local train to explore the new city and was astonished to find people hanging on the doors of the local trains.

“I feel much safer in the ladies’ coach, there is usually space and I can also find a seat. But in the general coach, I saw people hanging almost out of the train!”

Recent tragic events in Mumbai’s local trains such as the deaths of several commuters who fell from overcrowded trains at Diva and Mumbra stations also highlight why safety from overcrowding is a severe necessity. 

Despite the addition of new bus fleets and metro lines, overcrowding remains a significant challenge for daily commutes.

“Sometimes I forget to breathe in the metro because of how packed it is!” exclaims Snigdha Ramani, a Delhi resident who used to take the metro daily.

The advent of ladies’ coaches has provided significant relief by addressing safety concerns for women travelling nationwide every day.

“I don’t worry about pickpocketing or any other such problems in the metro, and I generally feel safe while travelling alone,” Snigdha adds. 

But the problem of overcrowding is prevalent everywhere.

It is a daily spectacle to find Mumbai’s trains crammed to bursting, Delhi’s metros with every inch contested, and jam-packed Hyderabad buses. 

For every life saved by affordable, accessible transportation, there is another endangered by the crush and chaos. 

The Indian public transport system is a microcosm of the country itself. It carries the hopes and dreams of millions but also the weight of systemic challenges.

Surveys reveal that only through the better integration of transport modes, improved infrastructure, and stricter enforcement of safety regulations can our daily commute become more than survivable, and perhaps even enjoyable. 

Only then can public transport fulfil its promise as a safe, efficient, and dignified mode of travel for all.

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