In India, large metros (with populations over 8 million) have relatively higher public transport mode shares and lower two-wheeler shares, while the converse is true in the case of small to mid-sized cities (with populations ranging from 0.5-8 million), which have the highest two-wheelers mode shares of 30-35%. This points to certain key factors influencing two-wheeler ownership and use, which are: level of public transit services, non-motorized transport infrastructure and distances or trip lengths. Rapid growth in two-wheeler users also means concomitant decrease in public transport ridership. Significantly, two-thirds of the two-wheeler riders surveyed in Pune said they used public transportation before two-wheelers, and nearly 80% were willing to shift to public transport if services significantly improved. An interesting finding was that a little under a third of the riders used the two-wheeler in conjunction with another mode on a single trip, primarily bus and auto rickshaws, pointing to the potential for integrating two-wheelers with other public and para-transit modes.
The information presented in this chart appears in EMBARQ India publication, Motorized Two-Wheelers in Indian Cities: A Case Study of the City of Pune (Working Paper). View the publication to access more charts & graphs in this area.