India Sustainable Mobility Initiative

To provide efficient mobility for the 200 million new urban dwellers expected by 2030 and mitigate the use of private vehicles and GHG emissions, India must achieve a dramatic increase in high quality rapid transit and improvements in walking and cycling infrastructure and urban development patterns. Working with national, state, and city level government stakeholders, the Initiative will achieve a shift to low carbon transport modes. The project will help to develop urban transport policies and investments that prioritize low carbon mobility. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has developed a catalog of, which includes advice and capacity development for investments in pedestrian and bicycle paths and the expansion of vehicle fleets in public transport. The project will work at the national level to produce guidance that accelerates subnational projects and policies, and with the states to institutionalize methodologies for transport planning.

Project data

Countries: India
IKI funding: 4,847,096.96 €
Duration: 09/2015 till 09/2028
Status: open
Implementing organisation: Institute for Transportation & Development Policy (ITDP)
Political Partner: Diverse climate change relevant institutions in the respective partner countries/Diverse klimarelevante Institutionen in den entsprechenden Partnerländern

Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) - India
Online: https://www.itdp.org/where-we-work/india/

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State of implementation/results

In October 2024, ITDP India launched the publication Promoting Behaviour Change Towards Walking and Cycling, highlighting the need for infrastructure and behaviour change to go hand in hand. The report advocates for achievable walking and cycling habits alongside better footpaths, cycle lanes, and traffic calming measures. The publication also showcases the success of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA’s) 2021 Freedom2WalkCycleRun campaign, which engaged citizens and officials across 30 cities, covering 30,000 km on foot, 80,000 km by cycle, and 17,000 km running in just two quarters.
India’s public bus sector is rapidly transitioning to electrification, with 9,500 e-buses operational and 12,000+ under procurement. Recognising the opportunity for State Transport Undertakings (STUs), Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs), and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) to convert their emissions into revenue through carbon credits, ITDP developed India’s first Carbon Credits Guidebook to help public bus operators understand carbon financing. Launched by the Association of State Road Transport Undertakings (ASRTU) in Dehradun, in September 2024, the guidebook has become a key resource for transport officials nationwide, supporting the long-term sustainability of e-bus fleets.
ITDP India, in partnership with ASRTU and Central Institute of Road Transport (CIRT), conducted a training workshop for STU officials, contributing to the training of 250+ officials across various states over the past year. The sessions focused on Electric Bus Service Planning and Branding, Marketing, and Communications to enhance the bus rider experience.
In August 2024, ITDP collaborated with Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) to host a Parking Management Round Table Conference to enhance the city's parking system. The conference shared valuable strategies from cities like Mumbai, Chennai, Srinagar, and international examples, which will aid PCMC in formulating a comprehensive parking strategy and beginning implementation in key areas. Moreover, ITDP India, in collaboration with the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), conducted a training session for Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service (DANICS) probationers, shaping the perspectives of India’s future bureaucrats on urban sustainable mobility. The session covered key aspects of Healthy Streets, with a deep dive into parking management, encouraging participants to think differently about urban mobility solutions. The session explored economics of parking, enforcement manpower, and alternative parking options; reinforcing the need for innovative approaches to sustainable urban transport.
In July 2024, Chennai launched the revamp of two major streets under the Complete Streets Programme, redesigning Race Course Road (900m) and the Washermanpet Metro-Toll Gate Metro loop (2.4 km) to improve pedestrian accessibility. The project, inaugurated by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, includes pedestrian infrastructure upgrades, contributing to a broader 11 km street transformation. This initiative aligns with Chennai’s vision of becoming the 'Walking Capital' of India.
The Bus Route Roads (BRR) Department of the Greater Chennai Corporation, in collaboration with the project, hosted a workshop on "Creating Healthy Streets in Chennai" in May 2024, for over 70 participants. The workshop featured expert-led technical sessions and interactive exercises, enabling participants to discuss on-ground challenges and experience the streets firsthand.
In March 2024, the project joined the Smart Cities Mission in launching two ambitious publications: The "Streets for People - Pathways of Change from India’s Smart Cities" compendium documents 50 street transformation project case studies across various cities to capture learnings and insights from the process (www.itdp.in/…). The "Healthy Streets Design Workbook" aims to guide cities throughout the country on the process of designing Healthy Streets (www.itdp.in/…).
In January 2024, the Smart Cities Mission and the project conducted a national-level workshop on "Streets and Public Spaces" in Pimpri-Chinchwad, marking the culmination of two national programmes — the India Cycles4Change and Streets4People Challenges. The event included an announcement of the top 15 Champion cities and the launch of a publication — "Transforming Lives with Healthy Streets: The Journey of the India Cycles4Change and Streets4People Challenges" — documenting the journey of the Challenges (www.itdp.in/…).
At the national workshop in January 2024, Pimpri-Chinchwad also showcased its street transformation journey along with the launch of the publication ‘Pimpri-Chinchwad on Foot and Cycle’ report, assessing the impact of the city’s street design projects (www.itdp.in/…).
In October 2023, Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation received an award for "City With the Best Non-Motorized Transport System" at the 16th Urban Mobility India Conference 2023 for its Pimple Saudagar Neighborhood project with over 90 km of people-centric streets, including segregated cycle tracks and footpaths. The project has been supporting the city in planning and implementing these sustainable mobility initiatives.
In September 2023, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs wrapped up Stage 2 of the Transport4All Challenge and announced the top 10 winning startups. Stage 2 spanned 10 months and involved 46 cities and over 60 startups.