First travel survey: young students walk less, cycle more as they reach college

India's first National Household Travel Survey, released on Monday, October 5, 2026 by the National Statistics Office under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), shows that young people are the country's most regular travellers, and that how they get around changes sharply as they grow up. Students aged 15 to 29 record the highest share of regular trips to a place of study of any group: 79.1 per cent in rural India and 73.3 per cent in urban India. As they move from school into college, walking gives way to cycling and motor vehicles. The survey covered the period from July 2025 to June 2026 and counted only journeys longer than one kilometre.

Most surveys about young Indians ask what they buy, watch or post. This one records something more basic: how they physically move through an ordinary day. For a generation that spends long hours on screens, the daily trip to college or coaching class is often the main block of movement in the day. The data suggests that for many young people that movement is still active. Walking and cycling together account for more than four in ten education trips in the 15 to 29 age group.

The age split is the most telling part. Younger children walk far more than older students, probably because schools tend to be closer to home. Once students reach college age, distances grow and the bicycle becomes the leading active option. The next step, for those who start working, is the two-wheeler, which more than half of urban workers rely on. Put simply, the survey traces a path from walking to pedalling to riding, and every step along it reduces the physical activity built into the day.

That has health implications. Walking or cycling to class is exercise that needs no gym membership and no extra time. A 23-minute journey on foot or by cycle each way adds up to a meaningful amount of exercise over a week. When the same trip shifts to a scooter or motorbike, that activity disappears unless it is replaced deliberately.

The figures also matter for cities and colleges. Safe footpaths, cycle lanes, secure cycle parking and reliable buses near campuses decide whether a student keeps walking or cycling, or moves to a motor vehicle early. The survey gives planners, for the first time, a national baseline to measure such choices against.

Short-term: Students, parents and colleges now have official national figures on how young Indians travel to study, which can inform choices such as cycling to class, campus parking rules and shuttle services.

Long-term: Repeated rounds of the survey could show whether young people keep active commuting habits or switch to two-wheelers sooner, a shift that would affect fitness, road safety, fuel spending and air quality.

Who is affected: School and college students aged 6 to 29, young workers entering the job market, parents, educational institutions, and urban and transport planners.

Questions and Answers