World City Guide

Getting Around

Public Transport
The first section of the Delhi metro is now in operation: a 8.3 km (5 miles), elevated stretch was opened by the Indian Prime Minister in December 2002. The rest of the first phase, which will extend the system to 62 km (39 miles), is partly overground, partly elevated and partly underground and is expected to be in service by autumn 2005. The necessary construction work, including tunnelling, continues apace. The system is technologically very advanced: fare collection, for example, is done using ‘smart’ cards and tokens. The metro is expected to reduce the dependence of Delhi's population on the car, reduce average commuting times by three-quarters and significantly cut pollution. The estimated cost of the first phase is Rs105.7 billion which has been raised partly through a ‘soft’ loan from the Japanese government and partly through equity investment from the Indian central and the Delhi state governments.

There are also several schemes afoot to improve the flow of traffic in the city, the most important of which is the construction of flyovers. Twelve flyovers have now been completed, while a further 26 are at various stages of the planning process. However, Delhi remains addicted to the car (the number of vehicles registered in the city has increased by 90% since 1991) and congestion, noise and pollution are a constant nuisance.

There are public buses in Delhi (all now converted to CNG or compressed natural gas), although finding a seat is an undertaking that challenges all Western notions of courtesy and personal space. Once on, passengers should be prepared for a numbing, bone-crunching ride. The Delhi Transport Corporation (tel: (011) 2386 8836; website: http://dtc.nic.in) operates a centralised bus network consisting of 814 routes operated by over 2,000 buses. DTC runs two daily tourist bus tours which take in the principal sights of the city (see http://dtc.nic.in for further information). This website also offers an excellent route finding service for the city’s bus network. There is a row of seats on the left of each bus reserved for women, although this rule is observed only on a whim. DTC also operate a night bus service.

A DTC Daily Green Card is available from Scindia House (website: http://dtc.nic.in) or one of 36 other pass sections, including Red Fort, Delhi Gate and Shahdara Terminal.

The easiest way to get around the city is by taxi or auto-rickshaw (see below). Recently the government, in an attempt to tackle the city’s air pollution, forced taxis and auto-rickshaws to convert from petrol to CNG. This apparently has made some statistical impact (Delhi has now moved below Mumbai and Calcutta in the list of India’s most polluted cities) and the areas around even the busiest roads do now feel less polluted. The authorities are also trying to compel Delhi’s taxis and auto-rickshaws to install electronic meters, to counter the widespread overcharging of passengers - according to one recent estimate, Delhi’s commuters are overcharged Rs2 billion, approximately 30 million, annually. Unsurprisingly, the meters are extremely unpopular among the taxi and rickshaw wallahs and are rarely used.

Rickshaws
Auto-rickshaws are open-sided, motorised tricycles, which weave in and out of Delhi’s appalling traffic and can be stopped pretty much anywhere in the city. Visitors should be prepared for an uncomfortable ride as they lurch over the bumps and potholes of Delhi’s roads, at the same level as the exhaust pipes of most lorries and buses. Four- and six-seater motorcycle rickshaws are also available, which run fixed routes at fixed prices, including the route between the Red Fort and Palika Bazaar at Connaught Place. In Old Delhi, bicycle rickshaws are useful for short distances. Fares should be negotiated at the start of the journey. Drivers often expect a tip from foreign tourists and 10% of the fare is satisfactory.

Taxis
Yellow and black Ambassador taxis are readily available, especially at local taxi stands, where taxis can be booked and prices fixed in advance. Taxis can also be booked through hotels. Drivers do not usually expect tips unless they have gone to some trouble on their passenger’s behalf. There is a 100% surcharge between 2300 and 0500. Like auto-rickshaws, there are official rates for taxis but metered prices are generally subject to high surcharges and can be twice as expensive as auto-rickshaws. Fares should be negotiated at the start of the journey.

Driving in the City
Driving in Delhi takes a certain degree of steeliness. The broad boulevards of New Delhi pose few potential hazards. However, negotiating the vehicular chaos that is Old Delhi can test the skills of the most able driver, as bicycles and rickshaws career through the choking traffic of buses, trucks and Ambassadors, not to mention ox carts, lone wandering cows, goats and elephants. Road travel is also subject to the vagaries of VIPs, of which India has an astonishing number, with roads frequently closed for ‘VIP movement’. Night driving can be particularly dangerous, with streets and cars lit only sporadically. Car parks are few and far between and, in general, driving oneself around the city is not recommended.

Car Hire
Service providers include Avis (tel: (011) 2430 4452; website: www.avis.com), located at the Oberoi Hotel, Hertz (tel: (011) 2412 1496; website: www.hertz.com) at Chankyapuri and Wheels Rent A Car (tel: (011) 2331 8695). Most major hotels can also arrange car hire on the visitor’s behalf. An International Driving Permit is essential for driving in India and in most cases the driver must be 25 years or over. Third party insurance is required by law.

Bicycle & Scooter Hire
Cycling in New Delhi can take some courage but it is a good way of getting around the wide boulevards, which are fairly uncrowded and in relatively good condition. However, bicycle rental is hard to come by. Nevertheless, there is a small unnamed shop, in Pahar Ganj, a few doors down from Hotel Vivek, which has bicycles for hire.

Lovers of vintage motorcycles come to India to indulge a penchant for its locally built Enfields. Inder Motors, on Hari Singh Malwa street (tel: (011) 2572 8579; website: www.lallisingh.com), has new and second-hand Enfields for sale, while Lucky Auto Accessories, on Shri Kishan Dass Road, stocks renovated Enfield Bullets.