Two-wheelers remain the backbone of India’s daily commute, carrying the largest share of workers to their workplaces. But while the mode of travel may be similar across much of the country, the time spent and money paid to reach work differ significantly from one state to another.
The figures suggest that personal and non-motorised modes continue to dominate work-related travel in India. Together, two-wheelers, walking and bicycles account for more than four-fifths of all worker commutes. Travel expenditure also varies across different groups of commuters. Among students, average monthly travel costs are lower than those of workers.
Data from the ‘Household Travel in India 2025-26’ by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation shows that 42.6 per cent of workers use two-wheelers as their primary mode of travel to reach their workplace. Walking is the second-most common mode at 28.3 per cent, followed by bicycles at 10.7 per cent. Public transport accounts for a relatively smaller share, with buses used by 6.7 per cent of workers and trains, trams or monorails by just 2.1 per cent. Workers in West Bengal report the longest average travel time to reach their workplace, spending 36 minutes on a trip. Delhi follows closely at 35 minutes, while Maharashtra records an average commute of 34 minutes. In contrast, workers in Lakshadweep spend only 11 minutes travelling to work, the lowest among states and Union Territories covered in the survey. Arunachal Pradesh records the highest average monthly expenditure on travel to work at Rs 2,409 per worker. Delhi ranks second at Rs 2,052, followed by Goa at Rs 1,941. Kerala, Mizoram and Jammu & Kashmir-Ladakh also report monthly commuting costs exceeding Rs 1,500. Male workers spend the most on travel, reporting an average monthly expenditure of Rs 835. Female workers spend significantly less at Rs 533 per month. Male students spend Rs 460 on travel, while female students report an average expenditure of Rs 423, the lowest among all categories covered in the data.
