India’s 25-minute commute: Why short travel times may hide a deeper jobs crisis

India’s average commute to a fixed workplace takes just 25 minutes, with 83.4% of workers completing their journey in under half an hour. But the apparently efficient travel pattern may conceal a deeper problem: how easily workers can access better-paying jobs beyond their immediate neighbourhoods.

The National Statistics Office’s first-ever National Household Travel Survey (NHTS), covering more than 20 lakh people between July 2025 and June 2026, offers a snapshot of how Indians travel for work. Its findings suggest that workforce mobility remains heavily dependent on personal vehicles and walking, while mass transit accounts for a relatively small share of daily commuting.

Two-wheelers and walking dominate workforce mobility

Two-wheelers are the most common mode of transport, accounting for 42.6% of workers’ primary commuting modes. Walking comes second at 28.3%, followed by bicycles at 10.7%. Buses account for 6.7%, auto-rickshaws 6.4% and cars just 3%. Train, metro, monorail and tram services together account for only 2.1% nationally.

These figures raise questions about whether India’s short commutes necessarily indicate efficient urban mobility. For workers with limited incomes, travelling farther to access better employment can involve substantial costs, including fares, fuel expenses and time spent changing transport modes. Taking a job closer to home may therefore be a financial necessity rather than a preference.

The hidden cost of limited job access

This is where the concept of “spatial entrapment” becomes relevant. Workers may remain confined to employment opportunities within a limited geographical area because the cost or difficulty of commuting makes more distant jobs impractical. However, the survey’s commute-time figures alone do not establish whether workers are accepting lower wages or sacrificing career opportunities; that would require further evidence on earnings, job choices and transport expenditure.

Why mass transit has a limited role

The limited share of rail-based commuting also raises questions about the reach of investments in urban transport infrastructure. Metro and suburban rail networks may improve connectivity in specific corridors, but their contribution to workforce mobility depends on accessibility, affordability and connections between stations and homes or workplaces. The survey indicates that rail-based modes account for 5% of commuting in cities, compared with 2.1% nationally, with much of the reported usage concentrated in Maharashtra, West Bengal and Delhi.

Women face a different commuting pattern

The survey also points to a gender divide in commuting distances. Only 42% of working women travel more than 1 km to work, compared with 62% of men. This difference warrants closer examination of employment access, household responsibilities, safety and transport availability, although the figures alone do not establish the reasons behind it.

Short commutes do not guarantee economic mobility

The broader policy question is whether India’s transport systems enable workers to reach the jobs they want, rather than simply the jobs they can reach cheaply. Short travel times are a useful indicator, but they do not reveal the full picture of employment access, wage mobility or economic opportunity.

For policymakers, the challenge is to connect affordable transport with wider labour markets. A 25-minute commute may be convenient, but genuine mobility should also mean that workers can pursue better opportunities without transport costs becoming a barrier.