New Delhi, May 19 -- On any given weekday, Jumi Boruah spends over three hours commuting to and from her workplace - despite living just 8.5 kilometres away. The 40-year-old office-goer from Beharbari travels via shared Tata Magic vans and city buses, enduring Guwahati's sweltering heat and overcrowded roads.

"Going to Christian Basti from Beharbari means I have to take the GS Road, the city's main arterial route, which is always congested," she said. "Even public transport isn't cheap. I spend nearly Rs 1,500 a month."

Jumi's experience mirrors that of thousands of daily commuters in Assam's capital, where short distances often require long, exhausting journeys.

Pallavi Deka, a lecturer at Handique Girls' College, drives over an hour...