By Jayendra Singh

Abstract

Delving into India’s rapid urbanization, this article explores the challenges hindering a shift towards sustainable urban mobility. With over 326.3 million registered vehicles and soaring pollution levels, the complex interplay of economic, cultural, and societal factors contributes to the reluctance of Indians to relinquish their private cars. From inadequate public transport to the societal status attached to vehicle ownership, the article navigates the multifaceted roadblocks, calling for a deeper understanding and grassroots initiatives for a cleaner, less consumerist society.

Introduction 

India’s economic growth is fueled by rapid urbanization happening at an unsustainable rate. One of the major consequences of this rapid urbanization is the exponential increase of vehicles on roads, especially in cities. It is a challenge for urban planners and policymakers to make this growth congruent with principles of urban sustainability, and a shift towards cleaner public transport seems a likely solution, this solution, however, misses a fundamental question, which is, why is it so difficult to make a shift from private to public transport? As of 2022, India has more than 326.3 million registered vehicles–and with an increasing middle-class population, the numbers keep growing. Because of this enormous ecosystem of private cars and vehicles, Indian cities such as Delhi and Mumbai have been suffering from air pollution for the past decade, and they are among some of the most polluted cities in the world, not to mention the congestion, traffic, and road safety issues rampant everywhere. 

It is evident, and inevitable, that India’s monumental growth will lead to an increased number of vehicles–even if they are electric–but the question remains why are Indians not willing to give up their cars? Consequently, what is lacking in our public transport system that it is unable to bring in more people? The answer to these questions has many layers, just like Indian society. India’s societal structure is a complex social fabric knitted through various social and cultural norms that impact the process of urban planning. Therefore, aligning with sustainability is a much more difficult task demanding a critical look at what is at the core of these roadblocks to a sustainable India. 

Why do Indians need so many private cars?

One of the key reasons that Indians need a private car is due to the lack of safe, accessible, and clean public transport. The quantity of cars is concentrated in metropolitan cities, however, the number of vehicles is growing at a high rate in rural areas too. The difference lies in the type of vehicle; rural households prefer two-wheelers, while urban households prefer four-wheelers. 35% of the total vehicles in India are in urban cities, with some cities having vehicular ownership rates as high as 500 per 1000 residents. Despite the presence of state-sponsored and private transport facilities, they are often qualitatively overcrowded and unreliable, with a complex and often outdated transportation system that does not align with the new digital middle-class society which values status and comfort over price savings. This shift is driving people towards private transport more due to its convenience, and alternatively towards cab services like Ola and Uber (we shall get into them later). While a significant segment of the lower middle class still relies on public transport such as the metro–which is limited to certain tier 1 and 2 cities–the urban landscape remains saturated with cars in every corner wherein one has to deal with background music made up of constant honking and engine noise.

The economic growth of India made it one of the top vehicle manufacturers in the world. Indian passenger cars are now growing–in size as well as numbers–at an enormous rate due to the low cost of vehicles and the increased number of manufacturers introducing affordable cars fit for every class of society. An ever-increasing demand for private vehicles is accentuated by the government’s decision to liberalise the economy. The direct correlation of the rise of the private vehicle sector with the rise of GDP is a big reason why the sale of vehicles keeps increasing, the latent demand for vehicles in Indian society is fueled due to the government’s focus on economic growth. The increase in per-capita personal income in the past few decades also drives this cycle of increased consumption, which is justified using the goals of development, often overlooking the negative externalities in the process. However, to get Indians to give up their cars, the government will have to tackle a much bigger, and more fundamental problem deeply embedded in Indian society.

I show off, therefore, I am well off!

Above mentioned governmental and economic factors are not the only active drivers that fuel private vehicle use in India. The elements of class and status heavily impact private vehicle ownership in India. The exponential growth of the Indian middle class has given rise to new social classes, that attach material things to societal status; giving up a car would be a big hit on a family’s social status and standing within a community. The self-perception of status held by households has shown a positive relationship between owning a vehicle and giving up a car could lead to a lower status in society. This phenomenon increases the value attached to a vehicle from economic to social and emotional; especially true in poorer households where conspicuous consumption—i.e. buying cars—is shown to increase the perception of economic and social well-being. This is one of the strongest forces that keeps the demand for personal vehicles high in India, especially in the growing middle and upper middle class, making it difficult for them to give up their status symbol; if one lives in a posh society in the NCR region, where the neighbors have two or three cars, people dread to have to face the horrors of taking public transport and would rather choose to take an expensive cab. In the essence of being fair, while the use of cabs is increasing in the cities–which are significantly cleaner than their fossil fuel sisters–their presence does not mean more sustainable cities and it has not impacted the number of private car owners, and only increased the number of cars on roads. This causes more traffic, congestion, and in turn more vehicular and sound pollution.

Will the future change?

Getting people to give up their private cars is indeed a process that will need more than just state intervention, as established before, the private car is a vehicle for physical as well as social mobility in Indian society. Therefore, for people to give up their status and to create a built environment that fits the needs of the ever-changing middle class, we will need more than just an economic incentive. While the vehicular emission laws such as banning the older models of Internal Combustion Engines such as BSII and BSIV had some impact on the air quality in the NCR region, this does not address the multimodal problem which is now spreading to satellite cities from their metro epicenters. The current automotive market might be shifting towards EVs, but that will take a longer time, and will not reduce the number of vehicles on the road, which is the major issue and cause of many issues impacting urban sustainability. The need to give up cars must come from a more fundamental need to live in a place with easy accessibility and governmental services that are based on sustainable principles to foster a cleaner and less consumeristic society. Until and unless a grassroots wave is created wherein the encroaching nature of cars and vehicles is understood, the roads of India shall continue to run like an unhealthy nervous system. 

Author’s Bio

Jayendra Singh is a final-year student at the Jindal School of International Affairs pursuing an MA in Diplomacy, Law, and Business. His research interests lie in the fields of Global Environmental Governance, Green (IR), and Caste studies. He’s currently the team co-lead for CIDS(Conversations in Development Studies) Journal and a columnist for Nickeled & Dimed.

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