Parliament Question: Promotion of integrated public transport to reduce dependence on private vehicles

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2615 ANSWERED ON 16/03/2026 PROMOTION OF INTEGRATED PUBLIC TRANSPORT TO REDUCE DEPENDENCE ON PRIVATE VEHICLES 2615. SHRI SANJAY RAUT: Will the Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs be pleased to state: (a) whether Government recognises that rising climate concerns and rapid urbanisation demand urgent measures to shift people from private vehicles to reliable and affordable public transport; (b) whether it is a fact that lack of fare and information integration across metro, bus and other transport systems is discouraging commuters from using public transport; (c) the reasons for continued dependence on informal and unregulated transport modes due to gaps in formal public transport systems; and (d) the concrete and time-bound steps taken to implement fare integration, strengthen public transport infrastructure and ensure affordable, accessible and sustainable mobility for citizens? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS (SHRI TOKHAN SAHU) (a) to (d): Urban Transport is a part of Urban planning which is a State subject. Therefore, respective State Governments are responsible for planning, execution and management of urban transport system including recognition of concerns related to climate and rapid urbanization, etc. and taking appropriate remedial measures, as may be necessary, for a sustainable transport system in their cities. However, Government of India has issued National Urban Transport Policy, 2006, Metro Rail Policy 2017, Transit Oriented Development (ToD) policy 2017 and other policy guidelines for fare integration, planning of urban transport system. Under Metro Rail Policy, financial assistance for metro rail projects is being provided and about 1145 kms of metro rail lines are operational in 26 different cities. The National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) was launched in March 2019 by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India with the vision of “One Nation One Card.” The initiative is aimed at achieving fare integration and providing citizens with a seamless travel experience across multiple modes of transport. Also, under PM-eBus Sewa Scheme launched on 16th August 2023, 10,000 air-conditioned e-buses have been sanctioned for 116 cities across 26 States/UTs along with central assistance for development of associated infrastructure and bus operations to augment, formalize and strengthen the public transport system. The Scheme also provides for centralized Intelligent Transit Management System (ITMS) and NCMC based automatic fare collection system for integration of ticketing. *****