What are the best ways of getting around in India?

Traveling India can feel like an adventure. India is unpredictable and you never know what to expect. Your bus might break down, your train is delayed, or you might book a ticket on an Indian sleeper bus and find a two person berth really just fits one person. Traveling India alone can feel like a culture shock. But after spending 24 hours traveling from Sikkim to Varanasi and experiencing colorful ways of getting around India, I wanted to share my experiences.

This India travel guide to transportation in India lists the various transportation you’ll use and experience traveling India.

Best Ways to Get Around in India

1.  Shared Jeep Taxi

Shared jeep taxis are a form of transportation, mostly in steep hilly regions with roads going into the higher altitudes and small villages.

Jeep taxis seat up to ten passengers and cost around 200-250 rupees (approx $3USD) per seat. I think that is the tourist price. You will either have to negotiate or book a seat from a travel agent. Indian locals can be small boned people so a westerner might feel more comfortable buying two seats.

Traveling to Darjeeling and then from Darjeeling to Pelling, I traveled by shared jeep taxi. It is perfect for mountain and small village locals to get around this way as if it were a local bus. It can also handle the steep inclines, rocky and winding roads. Locals will say it’s not always the safest as the road conditions can be unpredictable and all my drivers were young males, who navigate the roads with speed. But it’s the main transportation vehicle for hill station locals to get around. It is inexpensive because it is shared.

For long distances, expect the price of hiring your own taxi to be roughly around 1500 rupees.

Tip for Female Solo Travelers: Tourists might opt to buy two seats so as t have ample space. You can also hire your own taxi. 

Read: How to Reach Darjeeling

2. Bicycle Rickshaw

Bicycle rickshaws are good for short distances. The prices for foreign travelers may be a little more than locals. If they quote you 100Rs (around $1.60) for a short distance, you’re either getting a very tourist price.

Before you haggle for a cheaper rate– bicycle rickshaw drivers have to work hard. This is a human-powered rickshaw and it is a dying art, being overtaken by auto rickshaws.

Foreign travelers tend to be a bit larger than locals, some are overweight or carrying a lot of luggage. Even someone like myself can weight a bit at 5’8″ , 140lbs + my gear day pack (another 20lbs?).

3. Government and Local Buses

I enjoy occasionally taking public and government buses, because it’s public, the fees are set and it can be relaxing.  After boarding the bus, a fare collector comes around for your fare. Travelers should sit up front, close to the driver. The bus can get crowded. Sometimes, the driver or a local will put your bag near the driver so there is more space. Travelers carrying large bulky backpacks, should be courteous and cognizant. Your pack takes up the space of a human fare. This is why I take a carryon luggage over a backpackers backpack.

Taking public buses are a safe way to get around because it is government-operated. But it is slow. If you board a local bus, you will make all local stops, whereas some government buses take you from one government city to others.

There are three types of buses which run long and short distances- the intercity bus, government bus (aka state bus) and tourist/VIP bus (aka bus run by a private company). Read more about  Bus Travel in India

4. Private or VIP bus

VIP or tourist buses are owned by private companies and travel long distance during the day and night. Sleeper buses travel overnight and some have bunk bed compartments or chairs that recline.

These buses are smaller and will make rest stops along the way. Many travelers take them. However, they are not my favorite, as they can break down, some buses are very old and have not been properly maintained. I never know the quality of the bus until i’m there waiting in line to board it.  Rest stops can be 15 minute stops at joints that sell snacks and quick meals. Bathrooms at the rest stops can lackluster ; I would definitely pack toilet tissues and a feminine urinary device if you are uncomfortable with squat toilets.

Tip: Between the VIP buses and trains, I would recommend the train. It is far more comfortable and safer.

5. Auto rickshaw

Auto rickshaws can go a longer distance than bicycle rickshaws. They can get into old city areas that are closed to regular vehicles like cars and buses. They might be a little cheaper than car taxis; not by much.

Auto rickshaw drivers can be particular when it comes to who they service. It’s nothing against you, but often your end destination will decide whether they want to take you or not. They may ask where you’re going and if they’re not going in that direction they will keep on driving.  It can be quite frustrating at times. Auto rickshaw drivers, can also be hot-headed.

Sometimes, I feel like there’s a mafia-like comraderie with drivers.  They defend each other prices and even locals can find them difficult (you’ll find many tips and comments left by locals on my YouTube video here). So when hailing an auto rickshaw, it’s best to hail it from the street and away from his buddies.   Auto rickshaws can occasionally be hot-headed and temperamental if you are rude. Many are illiterate and don’t come from good income brackets. I seldom feel like I can trust them because I feel like they see dollar signs if you’re a tourist.

In one case late at night, I turned on my Google Maps voice directions just to keep tabs on him (because it turned out that a hostel I was looking for was in Paharganj but on the opposite end of a large Old Delhi train station). My driver got angry when I questioned his route, yelled at me and then left on the side of a dark-dark road. We’re talking at around 11pm at night after my train got in. Luckily, another auto rickshaw was nearby and of course, he knew he could charge me a high price as I was quite stranded.

If you use an autorickshaw, use your Google Maps to track your route. Negotiate your price advance or ask your driver to use the meter. They will try to avoid using their meter.

6. Shared Auto Rickshaws

Sometimes, you’ll see shared autorickshaws (as I discovered in Varanasi). This is where a rickshaw driver will wait for his vehicle to load full until he leaves for a certain area. Prices are reduced because you’re splitting the fare amongst other passengers. It can get tight and squishy. If you are a larger sized traveler, you may get charged for two spots.

7.  Ride Share apps

A safe, affordable and best way to get around India is using rideshare apps like Uber or Ola cabs. Over the years, they’ve grown popular amongst locals and you’ll find rideshare kiosks right outside the airports. They are inexpensive and a safer alternatives to dealing with auto rickshaws or taxis, as you can review and rate them.

India’s rideshare apps have a few options for rideshare vehicles from cars to auto rickshaws and motorbikes. I’ve tried them all and my favorite is the motorbike rideshare, however it’s not always the safest, especially if you’re carrying a lot of luggage.

Download the apps in advance. The app also asks whether you feel safe with your driver and there is an emergency feature in the app.

8. Domestic Airlines Carriers in India

Overall, domestic airlines carriers in India is easy, quick and not as costly as its western counterparts.  For those looking to avoid train travel, this is a good option. I have seen domestic flight costs start as low as $30 and as high as $200, with higher costs generally revolving around premier flights or festival dates. India airlines carriers are often very good, with an in-flight meal or snack included. Best domestic airlines carriers in India include: IndiGo Air, Air India, Spice Jet, Jet Airways, Air Asia, Vistara.

You can book airlines through Make my Trip or Indi

9. Auto Taxi/Taxi

You can hire government prepaid auto taxis from the airport to your hotel or train station. You pay a flat rate in advance and they issue you a ticket for the driver. Otherwise, when hailing them on the street always look for a running meter. If the meter is not running ask them to turn it on or use another taxi.

In Kolkata Airport, I took a car taxi to Howrah Station. I felt like I had good auto taxi experiences in Kolkata, with either the airport or the hotel staff hailing my taxi and requesting they use the meter.  If you’re in an airport, sometimes there are government taxi stands where you pay in advance for your trip. Kolkata has one of those, so I paid in advance and then my driver gave the airport exit gate my ticket as we left.  Howrah is a little over an hour from the airport, across Hooghly River. In this sense, there was no option but to use a car taxi. But cities like Delhi, offer metro options.

10. Hired drivers

Some travelers like to hire a car/driver for the day for sightseeing activities and getting around. You can hire them through your hotel or an Indian travel agent (I use travel agents a lot for my onward travel bookings). Cost runs approximately 1500 rupees per 8 hour day.

Tip for Female Solo Travelers: Use the rideshare app Olacabs to book one. You can see where your driver is going and the route he is taking. If there is an emergency, the app will be a record and map where others might find you.

11. Metro

At the time of writing, six cities have a metro system: Kolkata, Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai. My favorite metro system is Delhi; it’s expansive and just feels new. Kolkata is good but I wish it covered the airport and sprawled out just a little more. Mumbai was my least favorite; surprisingly, it didn’t feel like a metro as it did an actual train station with old cars.

12 Indian Train

Trains are a popular form of transportation and ideal for long distance travel. There are day and overnight sleeper trains and you can choose the class/quality. Trains bathrooms aren’t always comfortable and rarely maintained. They don’t always have running water and the toilet releases onto the train tracks). 3 AC seats are often preferred by backpacking travelers on a shoestring budget, while 2AC and business class are a little more but more comfy.

Tip for Female Solo Travelers: Travel by day and 2nd class or Business class. Although I have not experienced anything in 2nd class sleeper trains, some females feel uncomfortable and if you are light haired, you might get some stares. 

How to Book Train Travel in India

As of May 2016, the Indian Railways (aka IRCTC) allowed foreigners to book train tickets in advance online. There’s always been a bit of a snag in the past as foreign credit cards are not accepted by IRCTC and you need an Indian phone number!

In the past, the workaround was to open an account on the IRTC website and then open an account on Cleartrip.com and then attempt to merge the two together, booking through Cleartrip. Both sites are frequently used by Indians to book travel; they show you the bus, airplane and train schedules.

Another recent option has 12Go Asia. I used to use them to book buses and trains in Thailand but they’ve since expanded their city services to India. I have not tested train travel using this service so if you try it, let me know how it goes.

Most travelers try to book their train travel in advance. Unless my travel dates are during holiday season, I like to wait until I get to India to book my train travel because I’m never sure how much I’ll want to extend my stay in a city. Times like this I use either a ticketing agency or my hotel/guest house to book my onward travel. I find booking my train travel much easier this way, because I can ask for direct advice from a local. You can also go directly to the train station or train ticketing office to book. Often, I can check availability online via online services such as Cleartrip, Make my Trip or 12Go Asia.

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Trip Resources for Getting around in India

Planning your first trip to India? Start here. What to Pack for India Backpacking? Check here.

Learn the India trip essentials from India scams, dress etiquette, itineraries, accommodations, food insights, how to take the bus, dealing with sexual harassment and indian trains, and staying at ashrams.

Pelling to Varanasi: 9 Ways of Getting Around in 24 Hours (Watch Video)