In the world of Sustainable mobility – walkability, NMTs (non-motorised transportation), and public transportation take the central narrative for obvious reasons. We all agree that reducing carbon emissions is the need of the hour; hence, companies and governmental bodies have been putting considerable investments in ensuring that citizens are shifting towards more green modes of transport. Electric vehicles have become much more accessible for an average urban resident and electric buses and rickshaws are all too common in the public space in India.

This systematic focus on improving urban mobility and making it more sustainable is reflected in India’s National urban transport policy which is on the lookout to be more people-centric and recognises that the use of personal motorised vehicles has led to major challenges such as air pollution, loss of time, and an overall deterioration of the quality of life. Therefore, as a country, sustainable mobility for our health and environment is at the centre of our discussion and walking, cycling, and public transport are the tickets to a green future. However, the current move towards these methods only skims through the persistent problem of adverse temperature changes and fails to show how they might play a role in our behaviour towards using public transport. 

On May 29th 2024, Delhi recorded the highest temperature ever at 52.9C (officials have said that this is faulty, however, some parts of Delhi recorded 49C which is also very high), on April 30th, Kolkata, the city of joy, recorded its highest of the year at 43C which was 7 degrees above normal (all was not joyful for the people of Kolkata), and Bangalore peaked at 36 which was also unusual for its residents to experience. For all of us who live in cities in urban India, the summer of 2024 was a reminder that these unusual temperature changes were soon going to be all too common.

Every year, we’re shocked by the fluctuating seasonal disasters – one week we hear about the highest ever recorded temperature and are advised to stay indoors and the next week, we hear about flooded bypasses and roads and resign to stay indoors. However, avoiding the worst of the seasonal shifts is a privilege not all who participate in the urban economy can have. Construction workers, domestic helpers, delivery agents, and drivers have to continue to work despite these seasonal crises. Our businesses and governments are very much aware of the heat vulnerabilities that this group of people face; businesses like Zomato and Swiggy have said that adequate rest stops are given for the delivery agents, emergency response teams are available on stand-by as well as oral rehydration packs are kept in bulk in their waiting areas for them. Businesses can only do so much for their employees, for the construction workers, the cycle rickshaws, and the domestic helps, better infrastructures need to be developed by the governments. Despite this, Government policies have not been successful in catching up to the impact of the climate crisis. Public health systems face considerable strain during heatwaves and heat action plans haven’t been suitably institutionalised to bring in targeted interventions to these groups of people. Yet, our vision for sustainable cities requires us to be more people-centric! 

While the move towards a people-centric approach is commendable, it is rather a dream. Both businesses and governments have used the catch-all phrase of sustainability to enchant the audience. Taking the example of the food delivery agent to present the contradiction in our vision of sustainable transportation, while quite a few delivery agents use bicycles to commute between restaurants and houses to make last-mile deliveries, the Indian Express reported that Zomato in their ESG report attributed this practice to highlight their measures towards reducing their carbon emissions. It is worth knowing that heatwaves cause heat-induced illnesses such as heatstroke, dehydration, worsen chronic conditions and can also be fatal to people experiencing it. If you are working at a job that requires you to be constantly outside, green transportation needs to acknowledge that even if it is for last-mile connectivity, cycling or walking might not be the ideal mode of transport from a health perspective during a heatwave, hence, urban governments need to be cognizant of this and ensure that the health of these workers is protected. 

Sustainable transportation in its current form has amplified a romantic green future without truly understanding the people of the present. By 2029-30, there will be 23.5 million gig workers in India (a/cc to NITI AYOG), this means that a significant number of workers will have to be part of the country’s green mobility goals. The job of a delivery agent is mostly outside, they occupy the public space as part of their livelihood therefore, green mobility policies need to consider heatwaves as a constant recurring phenomenon year after year because to imagine a people-centric city, one must imagine that the everyday worker is able to comfortably work in such an environment.