New Delhi, April 08: India’s cities are investing heavily in public transport, but the communities most dependent on these modes risk being left out of decision-making. Addressing this gap, YLAC’s Mobility Champions Student Ambassadors Program, now in its fourth year, is mobilising undergraduate students from Delhi University, OP Jindal Global University, Ashoka University, Christ University, and other leading institutions across Delhi and Bengaluru, to do what urban planners rarely do: engage directly with the communities to enable them to shape their cities.
The programme’s cumulative impact built over previous years includes 88 accessibility audits, 370 community surveys, and petitions demanding concrete improvements, from audio announcements on Delhi buses to tactile paths and accessible shuttle services. Digital campaigns generated over 1.6 lakh impressions. Most notably, last year, research submitted by one student team directly prompted Ashoka University’s Office of Learning Support to update its accessibility app and notify its entire student body, a clear example of ground-level work driving institutional action.
Building on this foundation, the 2026 cohorts are now actively running campaigns across Delhi NCR and Bengaluru. In Delhi, student teams working with civil society organisations APD, Nipman Foundation, OMI Foundation, Safetipin, and Raahgiri Foundation are focusing this cycle on pedestrian infrastructure gaps, last-mile safety for women, accessible metro connectivity for persons with disabilities, and the promotion of non-motorised transport.
In Bengaluru, students are partnering with APD, the Council for Active Mobility, and Bengawalk to map walkability and cycling conditions, document lived experiences of commuters with disabilities, and build advocacy around the Active Mobility Bill. Across both cities, early interactions this cycle have already surfaced familiar patterns. Broken footpaths, inadequate lighting, and inaccessible transit nodes continue to define the everyday commute for those who need inclusive infrastructure the most. These are not exceptions; they are recurring realities that reinforce the urgency of the work underway.
As student teams deepen their research and community engagement across both cities through 2026, the Mobility Champions programme is building a sustained pipeline of youth-led advocacy and ground-level evidence that India’s urban planners, transport authorities, and policymakers cannot afford to ignore.
