Public Transport Day Fails to Trigger Significant Shift from Private Vehicles in Mumbai

An observation conducted at Bandra Railway Station East and the adjoining bus stop between 9:30 am and 10:00 am revealed no noticeable increase in commuter footfall compared to regular working days. While a small number of passengers were seen waiting for BEST buses, the majority continued to rely on shared auto-rickshaws for last-mile connectivity.

Shortly afterwards, a significant number of private vehicles, alongside a limited number of buses, were seen travelling towards the G Block area of Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) from the bridge near the Aqua Line BKC Metro Station. The metro station exit closest to BKC G Block recorded only light commuter movement. Several metro users stated that ridership levels appeared similar to, or even lower than, those on an ordinary weekday.

A banker working in BKC said that none of the colleagues known to prefer private vehicles had switched to public transport for the initiative.

Prathmesh Shinde, a regular metro commuter whose office is located in BKC, said he travels daily on the Aqua Line Metro from Grant Road to BKC. He stated that he had received a notification regarding Public Transport Day through the Mumbai One application and was aware of the initiative. However, according to his observations, metro ridership appeared lower than on most days despite expectations of increased usage.

Abhishek Singh, who regularly visits a client's office in BKC, said he travels by train to Bandra Railway Station and then uses a shared auto-rickshaw because bus schedules are unreliable and auto-rickshaws are readily available. He noted that he did not witness any increase in crowd levels attributable to Public Transport Day and described commuter volumes as normal.

Another commuter, Anshuman Pani, who travels daily to his office in BKC by train, also reported no visible rise in railway ridership. He stated that passenger volumes appeared consistent with regular weekday patterns.

To promote the initiative, volunteers from the World Resources Institute (WRI) and MMRDA conducted awareness activities at nine major transit points, including BDB Bus Stop, Family Court Bus Stop, Bharat Nagar Bus Stop, BKC Metro A1, BKC Metro A3, BKC Metro Bus Stop, Kurla Railway Station, Bandra Railway Station, and Sion Railway Station.

A WRI associate stated that the organisation regularly supports sustainability-focused initiatives and deployed volunteers, including college students, to encourage the use of public transport. The awareness campaign was conducted across approximately nine locations from 8:45 am to 10:30 am in the morning and from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm in the evening.

Naitik Gore, a student from Hiray College and a volunteer for the campaign, said he was pleased to contribute to an initiative aimed at raising public awareness and expressing appreciation to commuters who choose public transport.

Another volunteer, Grishma Sawant of Hiray College, said she supports the campaign because greater use of public transport can reduce the number of private vehicles on roads, helping ease traffic congestion and contribute to a more sustainable urban environment.

Despite extensive awareness efforts and promotional activities by volunteers, early observations from major transport hubs suggested that Public Transport Day did not result in a significant behavioural shift among commuters. The initiative highlighted both the importance of sustainable mobility and the challenges authorities face in persuading regular users of private vehicles to transition to public transport.