Events

Auto-rickshaws and the people who run them are essential to the city of Mumbai and millions of people, yet they remain poorly recognised as unsung heroes of the city.  “Transit Tales” aims to bring to life the struggles, hard work, challenges and logic behind these systems, providing a deeper understanding of the importance of autorickshaws to mobility, urban economies and livelihoods. 

Supported by funding from the Volvo Research and Education Foundations and managed by Columbia University, this exhibition builds on three years of research in Nalosopara led by the Mumbai Living Lab, part of the global Partnership for Research on Informal and Shared Mobility (PRISM). The goal of this research is to formulate strategies to better understand autorickshaws with the ultimate goal of incrementally integrating the shared autorickshaw system into planning and investments as an essential and sustainable public transport mode in such peripheral settlements, while improving the infrastructure for the public and conditions and livelihoods for the drivers.

Featuring architectural drawings, data visualisations, short films, music videos, paintings, and field narratives, the exhibition presents multiple entry points into the ecosystem of informal shared mobility. Each panel is anchored with a guiding statement derived from our research, offering glimpses into lived experiences and revealing the complexity of this everyday urban infrastructure. Mumbai living lab study results have been compiled in a geo-spatial database using GIS, and include routes, driver conditions and infrastructure associated with the service, which would be publicly accessible through the exhibition. 

Opening with a one-day conference, the exhibition, with its interdisciplinary forms of engagement, aims to initiate a broader conversation on integration, shift perceptions, and build an equitable future for the city.   

See the poster below.