[GreasyCarb55]

The thing that sparked this question in my mind was a video uploaded by a Canadian motorcycle YouTube channel FortNine (which I will link at the below). It mainly discussed about 50cc scooters and how they can be an an amazing tool for commuting in densely populated cities like Vancouver and compared 3 options. A Honda Ruckus, 2-Stroke Vespa Sprint 50 and an Aprilia SR50 Motard.

That got me thinking about the different ways we commute.

• Commuting by Car
• Commuting by Motorcycle
• Commuting by Scooter
• Using public transport (metro, city bus etc), Ola/Uber.

Personally if you would've asked me this question a couple of years ago I would've preferred motorcycles as at that time most scooters had 7-9hp and the faster options (Vespa and Aprilia 150/160cc Scooters) did not appeal to me. But now with the rise of the maxi scooter segment, I would prefer a scooter over a motorcycle.

The Video that sparked this entire post.

[GTO]

- My cars for leisure, evenings, dinners, parties, outings etc. If I'm going someplace during the day for work and it has good parking, then too I drive.

- Uber & Ola is what I usually use during working hours if there is going to be a lot of traffic and / or parking issues. I sit in the front seat with my laptop running.

- Have a rule that if I'm going anyplace within 1 - 2 km from home, I walk it up.

- Motorcycles are convenient, but too risky for Indian roads IMHO. Love them, but won't buy one.

- Would love to try the new modes of public transport (e.g. Metro), but simply don't have the time to spare. Last time I used public transport was perhaps a decade or two ago when I had to travel from Churchgate to Malad in the evening. The train was way faster.

[am1m]

From Bangalore, so the Metro all the way! Coverage is still not great, but I hate driving in the city so much that I plan all my outings only around what is accessible through the Metro. Using the bike is slightly less stressful, but getting worse. Once the Metro coverage improves over the next few years, will automatically start using that more. Anything but the car in this city- it's become that miserable an experience!

I think there should be a separate option for 'Metro' and 'Public Transport' on the poll. Yes, both are public transport, but in Bangalore while the Metro works as it should (despite the limited reach), the buses certainly don't! So while I'd use the Metro, I wouldn't vote for the other modes of public transport as preferable.

[Shreyans_Jain]

I prefer my car for my daily commute. Uber/Ola is used for going to or from the airport/railway station. I prefer using the metro in case it is quicker, like for old Delhi or Chandni Chowk area. Parking is a pain anyway there. Delhi NCR is too hot, too dusty and too polluted for walking or cycling to make any sense. House rules: no two wheelers. Too unsafe.

In Mumbai or in other cities, it is a combination of the local, metro and Uber.

[libranof1987]

Pune: Punekars have far too much pride to use public transport. Unofficial reports say we're the two wheeler capital of India?

- Buses: until the Chinese lent us their EV buses, our buses spent more time being broken down or catching fire than actually ferrying people around. A bad marriage between the Bus Corporations of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad meant the children suffered.

- Auto: they roam around town aimlessly all by themselves all day. Drivers spend more time on their phones watching videos than drive passengers. Bangalore and Chennai auto-wallahs don't hold a candle to the disdain Pune wallahs show when asked if they'll go to a destination.

- Metro: two decades too late, primarily used to gloat to the world that we have the Metro.

- Pune is WAY too intellectually forward to use human-rickshaws, donkeys and other means of transport. And we're not rich enough to have car taxis as in Delhi and Mumbai.

That leaves us with our own transport, or Uber/Ola. Until recently, Uber/Ola drivers were beaten up when found near popular destinations like the railway station, main bus stand and pick up/drop points of inter-city bus routes.

[Storm2.0]

Opted for car since Bangalore has negligible metro network, snobbish and expensive auto wallahs and extremely overcrowded BMTC buses. I was discouraged by my parents to use 2 wheeler as it's supremely unsafe on Bangalore's narrow pothole infested roads.

[adisan]

Bike: Most preferred. Easy to navigate, easy to park.

Car: On Sundays or holidays when the traffic is thin, and on rainy days.

Metro: When the destination is farther than 15 km. Bus, auto or cab to the nearest Metro station.

[tharian]

Two wheeler all the way, in Bangalore city.

I'm used to riding one in Bangalore for 20 years, so it is not a bother for me and it is best to escape traffic. It is only if I am forced to take the car for whatever reasons, I do.

[denzdm]

Anything which takes me on the highway or 5+ kms and parking available - Self drive car

Anything which takes me on the highway or 5+ kms and no parking - Uber

Under 5 kms and internal roads + restricting parking space - Two wheeler

[JoshMachine]

Preferred modes of transport here in Pune - only four wheelers.

Cannot risk driving in a vehicle having anything more or less than 4 wheels.
Bikes:- love them, but only from a distance.
Autos/3-wheeeler rickshaws:- are either not available when you want them, or the drivers are too busy napping to even check where to go to.
And buses:- not on my commuting route.

I use mostly my own car, be it commuting to office/work or general weekend family outings.
Uber/Ola et al, is mostly relegated to some specific weekend shopping adventures in the old city.

[ike]

If it is within 5KMS I use my Ather 450x but have ridden it 20+ KMS one-way within the city as well a couple of times because my son always prefers the scooter over the car. I live far from a bus route, Suburban rail(one of the most preferred modes in Chennai) or the metro, so it is always my own transport.

[Jeroen]

In India it was always car. We had a chauffeur, so no problems with parking.
Whenever I travelled we, or my company, if it was a business trip, would get a car and driver.

Here in the a Netherlands it really depends. We live in a rural area and all major towns are at least half an hour drive away. We have one small provincial town and we would take our bicycles to get there.

I am a regular user of trains as well, but only when me and my bicycle need to go somewhere a bit further.

In certain places I would always use public transport, because it was just the most convenient and efficient way of moving about. E.g. Madrid, Stockholm, London.

I have used Uber and Ola type of services in some of the town I travelled to. E.g. Moscow, Bucharest.

Technically, I am based out of Stockholm, but live in the Netherlands, so my commute is by plane. I would always use taxi’s to move between Atlanta airport and our offices. Because it is just very quick and not that much more expensive than the bus or metro.

So it really depends, where I find myself, what purpose and what options are the most convenient.

Jeroen

[ninjatalli]

Key point being "within the city", my order of preference is as below

1. Metro if available
2. Bike/Activa if I'm alone or +1
3. Ola/Uber for those sessions where I can't drive (hic!) or I have luggage/people with me
4. Cycling (would be higher if I had safe parking options)
5. Other public transports

[Raghu M]

Did not find share auto specifically. I use that for short distances near my area. Very affordable and you always find one at any hour of the day/night. If the distance is a little farther with high traffic or no parking, then metro is my preferred way of transport.

[pkulkarni.2106]

I love driving the car, be it in the city or on the highway. But it's too stressful to drive it in the city, especially the central areas in Pune. Not to mention the parking woes - there are many instances where I had to park the car 3-4 KMs away from my destination and hail a rickshaw from there.

I equally love riding the bike (my 1st gen Pulsar), but since it's not in top shape I do use wife's Jupiter nowadays. Convenient to ride & park.

Public transport is too inconvenient for us - we're always in a hurry, can't wait for the next bus & the bus stops are too far away from the home to walk to them each time. Plus, most of the times the buses are crowded too.