12 hrs ago
Community Rides and Jazz Aim to Boost Delhi Public Transport
Two researchers in Delhi want more people to enjoy and use buses and trains.
They created a group where people take public transport rides together and talk about how transport works.
The group also discusses whether transport is affordable, accessible and welcoming to different people.
They made a website that turns Delhi Metro activity into jazz music.
Because the Metro does not provide live data, the website uses a computer simulation based on public information.
The researchers are also studying how long people wait for buses and trains in different parts of Delhi.
They say people near the city center usually have more choices and shorter waits.
They also hope to improve a neglected lane in South Delhi and later work on better public spaces.
IIT Delhi researchers Atishay Khanna and Adwitiyaa Pramanik created a community promoting public transport through rides, discussions and transit trivia.
Their Instagram platform, Ministry of All Public Transport Ever, has helped organize gatherings including a Pride-themed ride and an August 29 RRTS Tour on Namo Bharat.
Their website, delhimetrojazz.com, turns Delhi’s nine Metro lines into a simulated interactive jazz ensemble using publicly available network data.
The researchers’ work also examines wait-time stress, which they say is lower in central Delhi and rises toward areas with fewer transport options.
They are planning a pilot to clean up and redesign a neglected gully in Saidulajab, South Delhi, and are developing a human-centered design venture.
- Who
- IIT Delhi researchers Atishay Khanna and Adwitiyaa Pramanik, with participants in their public-transport community.
- What
- They are encouraging public-transport use through community rides, discussions, a Metro jazz website and transport research.
- Where
- Delhi, including its Metro and bus network, with a planned gully pilot in Saidulajab, South Delhi.
- When
- The research began last year; the latest group trip was held on August 29, and the Metro jazz website was launched the previous month.
- Why
- They want to promote public transport while examining affordability, accessibility, waiting times and the quality of public spaces.
Key facts
- Researchers
- Atishay Khanna, 27, and Adwitiyaa Pramanik, 23
- Institution
- Transportation Research and Injury Prevention Centre at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
- Community platform
- Instagram page called Ministry of All Public Transport Ever
- Latest group ride
- An August 29 RRTS Tour on Namo Bharat
- Jazz website
- delhimetrojazz.com maps Delhi’s nine Metro lines to different instruments
- Data limitation
- The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation does not publish real-time data for its nine lines, so the website uses a simulation
- Current research
- The duo is mapping wait-time stress using factors including stop density, service frequency, congestion and Metro access
- Planned pilot
- A cleanup and redesign of a neglected gully in Saidulajab, South Delhi
Quotes
Suryaansh Chopra
Community participant and 21-year-old B Com graduate
“We just wanted to talk about who the system is actually accessible to, who benefits, and what happens to the people who still have to depend on cheaper, slower modes of transport while a faster alternative is out of reach.”
indianexpress.com
“I have this newfound passion for accessibility and affordability of public transport.”
indianexpress.com
A bisexual participant
Participant in the community’s Pride-themed public-transport ride
“Being bisexual, I have not been welcomed for pride events. Such gatherings helped bring my queerness and love of public transit together without friction.”
indianexpress.com





