My fiance and I are going to be visiting India (Delhi) for the first time, and we will mainly be doing site seeing and exploring the lifestyle and culture of people. As we will need to get from one place to another we will be relying on public transport, we need to know what would be the best mode of public transport both safety wise and budget wise.
You would be better off traveling by the metro rail, which would work out to be the quickest way to get to a destination, cheaper than other modes of transport, safer and you will not get ripped off with the fares. Metro is available throughout Delhi, but there are some places where metro is still under development, although you shouldn't find an issue reaching the major attraction locations. If there is a certain place where there is no metro line depending on your budget I would suggest getting a taxi or an auto.
If for any reason you do need to get an auto, make sure that the meter on the auto is working and is on, so that you don't over charged.
If it is in your budget then hiring a taxi is also a good and safe option. You can either get a taxi on a km basis option or on a per day hire basis, which can be decided on the type of trip and the distance you would be travelling. You can easily book a taxi yourself by making a booking or ask your hotel to book the taxi for you.
Major part of Delhi is covered by Metro. So that would be the best option. Delhi Metro sells special Traveler Card (magnetic ticket) that offers unlimited rides for 1-2 days. Use Auto only for the last mile connectivity. But Delhi in summer is hot like hell. So traveling in a auto, with the hot air blasting in your face, can be a daunting experience. Otherwise you can go for AC taxies. Safety wise, radio cabs or App based taxi service would be better.
Thank you for this thread, something very useful for my travels in India. Is there metro in all major cities in India or just the capital?
Safety wise Metro and taxi are both safe, the rest would depend on where you want to go and whether the metro line goes to that particular destination or not which you can check from the Metro map.
It looks like traveling by train is exciting. Pardon me but I have seen some videos with people atop a moving train, purportedly an Indian train, is that true or just for kicks? But anyway, we are using the rail in Hongkong and we are used to it already. In Singapore, it's mostly bus for us but sometimes we also take the rail. So I guess we would be at home using the trains in Delhi. And I believe the train system is patterned to that in London's. That was my first train journey, when I was in London for 4 months of work.
Delhi metro is mostly elevated unlike the London underground which is mostly underground as the name suggests. Delhi metro isint much different apart from the fact that the stations and trains are a lot more cleaner and better looking then what you would have seen in London. Fares are a lot cheaper in Delhi.
Wow, @Chahal, I'm very impressed with your patriotism, really. I like people who are proud of their products, their land, their people. But anyway, I find the London trains clean enough to my liking except for some hobos who are smelly that board the train. And if you say Delhi's trains are cleaner and better looking, I guess that is admirable. And yes, that's logically true that fares are cheaper than in London. Here in Metro Manila, the train system is getting flak from the public with the regular breakdowns of the trains. And it seems that the capacity is so small that the queue of passengers become so long during rush hours. With cleanliness, the trains are fairly clean and the stations are safe.
Another major difference is that Delhi metro trains are a lot wider and the roof is a lot higher as compared to London underground. You wont see any graffiti in Delhi metro and you wont see any compartment in London trains that does not have some graffiti. Delhi metro has got air conditioning and heating for winters where as London underground only has heating. Try boarding a London train in August and you would know what I mean
One similarity between both London underground and Delhi metro is that they were both built with Indian money Britishers stole this country's wealth when India was a colony and some of that was also used to build the tunnels and rail network in England. Delhi metro is a profitable venture where as London is a loss making one
Just thinking of safety and security, I would say taxi. It's a little bit expensive depending how much you're navigating, but I'd go with a taxi. Cheers!
