India Guide
Delhi
Getting around
Despite a spanking new metro system, public transport in Delhi is still inadequate for the city's population and size, and increased car ownership is adding to the general chaos. Cows have been banned from much of central Delhi, but not the city's more traditional districts. In an effort to reduce pollution, the city's buses, taxis and auto-rickshaws have all now been converted from petrol and diesel to run on compressed natural gas (CNG), but most inner-city thoroughfares are still choked with exhaust fumes and congested.
New Delhi's brand-new metro system, which opened in 2002, is being built in several phases, with work projected to continue until at least 2021. There are three lines: the red line (line 1) runs from Barwala in the northwest to Shahdara across the Yamuna river in the northeast; the yellow line (line 2) runs from Vishwa Vidyalaya in the north to the Central Secretariat, interchanging with the red line at Kashmere Gate (by the main Inter-state Bus Terminal), and continuing to Old Delhi (Chandni Chowk) and New Delhi rail stations and Connaught Place (Rajiv Chowk). The blue line (line 3) starts at Dwarka in the southwest and terminates at Indrapastha near Purana Qila, interchanging with the yellow line at Rajiv Chowk. All three lines are due to be extended at both ends in the near future. For progress updates, visit 
www.delhimetrorail.com . The minimum fare is currently Rs6, while the highest fare from the centre Rs15. The metro is wheelchair accessible, and each station should have an ATM. Children under 90cm (3ft) tall travel free if accompanied by an adult. Photography is strictly prohibited.
With auto- and cycle rickshaws so cheap and plentiful, only hardened shoestring travellers will want to use Delhi's confusing and overcrowded buses. However, one useful route is the #505 from Ajmeri Gate and Connaught Place (Super Bazaar and the corner of Kasturba Gandhi Marg) to the National Museum, Safdarjang's Tomb, Hauz Khas and the Qutb Minar. It is possible to check bus routes online at delhigovt.nic.in/dtcbusroute/dtc/Find_Route/getroute.asp , but the lists of bus stops do not always use location names that will be familiar to tourists (stops in Connaught Place, for example, are listed individually as "Regal Cinema", "Super Bazaar" and so on).