Getting around
Transport & Metro, Apps & Digital Life. 4 min read.
01Transport & Metro
Getting around Delhi
Delhi has India's largest city rail network: 10 colour-coded metro lines plus the Airport Express, 393 km in all.
The metro is clean, air-conditioned and signed in English. It is the fastest way to get around at peak hours. Most expat families still keep a car with a driver for embassy events, school runs and Old Delhi visits, where parking is impossible.
What it costs
RIDE
Ola/Uber Chanakyapuri-CP
₹200 to 400
one way
Key Metro Lines (2026)
Yellow Line (Samaypur Badli Millennium City Centre)
The expat backbone. Vishwavidyalaya (DU) Kashmere Gate New Delhi Station Rajiv Chowk (CP) Central Secretariat AIIMS Hauz Khas Saket MG Road / Sikanderpur (Gurugram).
Airport Express / Orange Line
The fastest airport link. T3 New Delhi Station in 22 minutes for ₹60. Bypasses every traffic bottleneck on NH-48.
Blue Line (Dwarka Noida / Vaishali)
East-west across the city. Karol Bagh Rajiv Chowk Pragati Maidan Akshardham Mayur Vihar Noida, critical if your office is in Noida.
Magenta Line (Janakpuri West Botanical Garden)
Connects Hauz Khas to Noida directly, the single most useful south-Delhi to Noida link. Phase 4 extensions will push deeper into south-east Delhi.
Violet, Pink, Red, Green & more
Delhi Metro's 393 km network covers virtually every part of the NCT. Use the official DMRC app for routes, fares and real-time arrivals.
Getting Around Day-to-Day
Delhi Metro
Fastest way to move at peak hours. Smart card or DMRC app QR. ₹10 to 60 per trip. Air-conditioned, women-only coach at front. Operates ~6am-11pm.
Chauffeured Car
Standard for senior expat households. Monthly chauffeured car arrangements. IKAN recommends hiring a car with a driver, as the easiest way to get around. IKAN provides these transport solutions with well-maintained cars along with English-speaking drivers familiar with the Delhi routes.
Uber / Ola
Both work well in Delhi. Premium tiers (Uber XL, Ola Prime SUV) preferred for embassy events. Surge pricing during rain, smog days, and Diwali week.
Auto-Rickshaws
Use auto-rickshaws through ride-hailing apps such as Uber, Rapido, etc. Refuse non-metered rides. Rapido Bike for solo commutes during peak traffic.
At peak hours (8.30-11.30am, 5.30-9.30pm), Delhi traffic adds 30 to 90 minutes to any road journey. NH-48 (airport corridor), Outer Ring Road (AIIMS bottleneck) and Mathura Road / Bhairon Marg are the worst-affected. Schedule important meetings outside peak windows, or use the Metro. During Oct to Feb smog days, the Metro is also visibly cleaner air than any car commute.
02Apps & Digital Life
Apps to install
Delhi runs on phone apps. More and more of daily life is digital, from hailing a cab to checking today's AQI (air quality index) to paying your chai wallah. Download these before you land and your first week will be much easier.
Transport
Uber / OlaPrimary cab-hailing. Uber dominates the corporate-expat segment in Delhi; Ola is similar quality. Premium tiers (Uber XL, Ola Prime SUV) preferred for embassy events. Keep both installed, surge pricing during smog days, Diwali week, and rain.
Delhi Metro DMRC AppRoute planning, real-time arrivals, smart-card recharge, ticket QR codes. Essential for all metro lines including Airport Express. Cleaner air than any car commute during smog season.
Rapido / IRCTC RailRapido Bike for solo hops in peak traffic. IRCTC for the Gatimaan / Vande Bharat express trains to Agra and Jaipur, the comfortable way to do the Golden Triangle.
Google MapsEssential for navigation, live traffic and accurate ETAs across Delhi-NCR, and the most reliable way to share your location with drivers and find metro exits, markets and embassies.
Food, Grocery & Delivery
Zomato / SwiggyBoth deliver within 30 minutes across most of Delhi. Zomato Gold for frequent restaurant orders. Swiggy Instamart for instant grocery top-ups.
Blinkit / Zepto / BigBasketBlinkit (10-minute delivery, founded in Gurugram) and Zepto for instant essentials. BigBasket for planned weekly grocery. Modern Bazaar and Le Marché for imported / premium products.
Air Quality & Health
IQAir / AQI India / SAFARCRITICAL for Delhi. Real-time AQI by neighbourhood, mask recommendations, and indoor-vs-outdoor guidance. Check daily during October to February before any outdoor activity, including school drop-off.
Practo / 1mg / Apollo 24/7Practo for GP and specialist appointments. 1mg for online pharmacy. Apollo 24/7 for telemedicine. PharmEasy and Tata 1mg deliver prescriptions in 90 minutes across central Delhi.
Utilities & Services
BSES Rajdhani / Tata Power-DDLDelhi's two main electricity providers depending on your area (BSES Rajdhani for south Delhi, Tata Power-DDL for north/central). Set up auto-pay immediately on arrival.
Jio / Airtel / ACT FibernetJio and Airtel both offer eSIM in Delhi. Airtel has stronger signal in Lutyens and Chanakyapuri. ACT Fibernet excellent for home broadband in South Delhi, 100-300 Mbps standard.
Home Services
Urban CompanyOn-demand home services, salon at home, electrician, plumber, AC cleaning, pest control, deep cleaning. Vetted professionals, transparent pricing, the household-help backbone for working professionals.
NoBrokerBrokerage-free flat search plus a vetted-vendor marketplace for packers & movers, painting, deep-cleaning and handyman jobs, useful for the move-in week in South Delhi and the NCR.
Sulekha / JustDialLocal-services directories for cooks, drivers, tutors, carpenters and AC technicians across Delhi-NCR, the fastest way to fill a household-staff gap your relocation agent hasn't already covered.
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