Getting around
Transport & Metro, Apps & Digital Life. 4 min read.
01Transport & Metro
Getting around Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad built India's first Bus Rapid Transit system, and its modern metro now reaches GIFT City and Gandhinagar. Ride-hailing is cheap and easy to find. The city is easy to get around and far less congested than Mumbai or Bengaluru.
What it costs
RIDE
Ola/Uber across west city
₹120 to 300
one way
Metro Lines (2026)
Blue Line (East-West)
Thaltej Gam Vastral Gam, running through Vastrapur and the central areas, the line most useful to the western expat belt. Fully operational, air-conditioned.
Red Line (North-South)
APMC / Gyaspur Motera (Narendra Modi Stadium), interchanging with the Blue Line at Old High Court. Fully operational.
Phase 2 (GIFT City & Gandhinagar)
The northern extension to GIFT City and Gandhinagar (Mahatma Mandir) was completed in January 2026 and links the finance hub directly to the city.
Airport line (planned)
A metro link to SVP International Airport is in the planning/tender stage, useful to know for the future, but ride-hailing remains the airport option for now.
Getting Around Day-to-Day
Ola / Uber
Both work well and are inexpensive across the west city. The default for most expats day-to-day; keep both installed for the best availability and pricing.
Auto-Rickshaws
Plentiful, metered or negotiated, and very cheap for short hops, hail one on the street or book an auto through the Uber and Ola apps. App bike-taxis aren't legal in Gujarat, so plan on autos and cabs.
Metro
Clean, fast and air-conditioned. The Blue Line serves the western suburbs and Phase 2 now reaches GIFT City, buy a smart card or use the Ahmedabad Metro app.
BRTS Janmarg & AMTS
Janmarg, India's first BRTS, runs dedicated-lane buses across the main corridors; AMTS covers local routes. Affordable and well-organised.
Car Lease & Driver
Most expats take a monthly self-drive lease or a car-with-driver, the comfortable default for the school run and GIFT City commute. IKAN arranges both.
Fares & Smart Card
Metro fares run roughly ₹10 to 35 a ride; a rechargeable smart card or the metro app skips the queue. Autos and Ola/Uber stay cheap by metro standards.
At peak hours, around 9 to 11am and 6 to 9pm, traffic builds on the SG Highway and ring roads, but Ahmedabad is far easier to drive than the big metros. We still advise you not to drive yourself for the first few months, because two-wheelers weave unpredictably and local road manners take getting used to. A chauffeured car or ride-hailing is the comfortable default; IKAN can arrange a car lease with a driver.
02Apps & Digital Life
Apps to install
Ahmedabad runs on phone apps and UPI, India's instant bank payments. Almost everything is digital, from hailing an auto to paying at a street stall. Download these before you land and your first week will be much easier.
Transport
Ola / UberPrimary cab-hailing across the city, inexpensive and reliable. Keep both installed for the best availability and pricing.
Ahmedabad MetroBuy tickets and smart-card top-ups, check routes for the Blue and Red lines and the new GIFT City / Gandhinagar extension.
RapidoAuto and cab booking for quick, cheap trips, a handy back-up to Ola and Uber. (App bike-taxis aren't legal in Gujarat.)
Food, Grocery & Delivery
Zomato / SwiggyBoth deliver within ~30 minutes across the city, with a huge range of vegetarian options. District (by Zomato) covers dining out and events.
Blinkit / Zepto / BigBasket10-minute grocery and essentials delivery (Blinkit, Zepto, Swiggy Instamart); BigBasket for weekly planning.
EazyDinerRestaurant reservations and deals for the SG Highway and Sindhu Bhavan Road dining scene.
Utilities & Services
Torrent PowerAhmedabad's electricity provider: use the app for bills and outage reporting, and set up auto-pay on arrival (summer bills are high).
Jio / AirtelBoth for mobile (eSIM available) and home broadband, 100 to 300 Mbps standard in new developments across the west city.
Practo / 1mgPracto for GP and specialist appointments and lab tests; 1mg for online pharmacy and home sample collection. Both English-language.
Government & Home Services
Gujarat e-PermitThe state portal for applying online for a liquor permit as a foreign national: register, upload your passport and visa, and pay the fee.
Urban CompanyOn-demand home services, salon at home, electrician, plumber, AC cleaning, pest control, deep cleaning. Vetted professionals, transparent pricing.
e-FRROindianfrro.gov.in, your portal for FRRO registration, visa extensions and exit permits. Faceless and online; IKAN guides you through it.
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