Walking, Buses and the Future of Indian Cities — A Conversation with Shreya Gadepalli, one of India’s leading urban mobility experts

What happens when you try to move more than 20 million people every day?

In this episode of the Metropolitan Mobility Podcast, Geert Kloppenburg sits down with Shreya Gadepalli, one of India's most respected urban mobility experts and a pioneer in sustainable transport policy for more than 25 years. 

Recorded during field research in Mumbai, this conversation goes straight to the heart of one of the world's biggest mobility challenges.

While much of the world debates autonomous vehicles and futuristic mobility concepts, Shreya brings the discussion back to reality:

•  Why are 7–8 million people using Mumbai's suburban trains every day? 
•  Why has the number of buses fallen while the city's population keeps growing? 
•  Why are buses still the fastest and most affordable way to improve mobility for millions? 
•  Why do women depend so heavily on public transport to access jobs and education? 
•  And why is walking still the most overlooked mode of transport in urban planning? 

Shreya argues that mobility is not about moving vehicles. It is about enabling people to participate in society.

The conversation explores Bus Rapid Transit, the future of Mumbai's bus network, the role of walking and cycling, parking policy, road safety, gender equity and the difficult choices cities must make when street space is limited.

One of the most powerful insights:

If cities are designed around cars, many people never truly gain access to the city at all.

A fascinating and highly practical discussion about mobility in one of the world's largest urban regions—and what cities everywhere can learn from it.