A Closer Look At Delhi NCR's Public Transport System

Uber recently announced a hike in the ride time charge to Rs 1.5 per minute from Rs 1 in Delhi. The change is expected lead to an increase in price by up to 15 per cent - and that move has not earned the US-based company much goodwill in the region. Uber's economical pricing in India, its second largest market after the US, saw the company through the fray against its primary rival here - Ola. Factor in the price jump and there goes the charm, as many users of the on-demand taxi service have pointed out.

While many have expressed frustration at the decision, a handful also suggested returning to using auto rickshaws.

What?? Uber-Go rates hiked by 50% in Delhi-NCR. Delhi vale Dil vale kya hue @Uber valo ne toh rate hi badha diye.

— Anita (@ani_bhatia) January 6, 2017

Uber hiked fare by "50% in Delhi-NCR" . Back to Auto-rickshaw moment!!

— Md Saifullah Rizvi (@SaifuRizvi) January 6, 2017

#Uber hikes prices of 'UberGo' by 50% in Delhi-NCR.
Ek hi cheez afford kar pa rahe the aur ab woh bhi cheen li.

— Joint Ventur (@JointVentur) January 6, 2017

One would be inclined to think that this is the time for Delhi's public transport to shine - to be the city's knight in shining armour. Delhi NCR has the Delhi Metro, DTC buses, and auto rickshaws that are meant to ensure every corner of the region is affordably serviced. Unfortunately, that may not be completely true.

Delhi Transport Corporation operates the world's largest fleet of CNG buses; deployed on 773 routes, the fares for a ride on one of these buses starts as low as Rs. 5 and goes up to a maximum of Rs. 25. In fact, the government is planning to further reduce these fares by 75 per cent. Auto rickshaws aren't expensive either - Rs 25 for the first 2 kilometres and after that, Rs. 8 per kilometre for every additional kilometre.

Now, here are some numbers that will help put things in perspective. While the Delhi Metro records an average daily ridership of nearly 26 lakh, 4.5 million people use DTC buses every day. Consider those numbers and the reality of the state of the national capital's public transport system becomes crystal clear.