AmdavadNXT
Ahmedabad is at a pivotal moment in its urban trajectory, preparing to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, with discussions underway around the 2036 Olympics, and advancing a Comprehensive Mobility Plan that targets long-term, sustainable growth. Yet public transport — bus and metro combined accounts for just around 10% of trips in the city. Streets remain vehicle-dominated, footpaths are fragmented and encroached upon, last-mile connectivity is a persistent barrier, and the planning processes that shape mobility have historically excluded the voices of women, children, and low-income commuters who depend most on public transport. The initiative responds to the urgent need to position public transport as a preferred, aspirational choice, shifting the conversation from individual behaviour to systems-level reform.
"Ahmedabad's public transport ridership has fallen 22% since 2009 — even as the city prepares to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games and eyes the 2036 Olympics."
- Question of Cities, 2024 / Commonwealth Sport, 2025
About the initiative
AmdavadNXT was a three-day exhibition and convening organised by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) under the SHIFT Transport coalition, in partnership with WRI India, TUL Foundation, UrbanVoices, aProCh, MYBYK, and Momentum Shifts. Held from 21–23 February 2026 at the Sabarmati Riverfront House, the initiative brought together government agencies, urban planners, civil society, academic institutions, startups, media, and citizens to reflect on Ahmedabad's mobility journey and chart a shared way forward. Through an immersive public exhibition tracing the city's evolution from AMTS to BRTS to Metro, structured multi-stakeholder sessions, and a citizen voice board, AmdavadNXT created a rare public platform where technical expertise, policy commitment, and lived experience could converge. The initiative also produced a whitepaper compiled from steering group deliberations, session insights, and over 115 citizen inputs. Formally submitted to AMC with prioritised recommendations on modal share targets, last-mile connectivity, open data, parking reform, gender-responsive planning, and pedestrian infrastructure.
What we hope to change
Through AmdavadNXT, we seek to shift how Ahmedabad thinks about and invests in public transport, from a residual service to the backbone of a safe, inclusive, and climate-resilient city. In the near term, the initiative aims to support AMC in acting on key recommendations:
- Increasing the modal share of public transport by 5% within 12 months
- Improving BRTS efficiency, surveying last-mile gaps across all 200 BRTS and 60 metro stations
- Advancing pedestrianisation infrastructure
- Establishing open mobility data systems.
In the long term, we envision an Ahmedabad where residents, regardless of age, gender, or income, can move through their city safely, comfortably, and with dignity, and where the city's global ambitions are matched by a mobility system that works for everyone.
60+ Partners - including schools, colleges, NGOs, community organisations, medical associations, and resident groups
500+ School children who attended the exhibition and participated in the Junior Urbanist Roundtable
5000+ Citizens who visited the three-day exhibition at Sabarmati Riverfront House
What began as a three-day convening is now a growing community — of citizens, planners, and advocates actively working towards shaping Ahmedabad that work for everyone.
