Is India Safe at Night? Getting Around After Dark

The governments' advice on night travel in India is consistent:

• United Kingdom. The Foreign Office advises avoiding road travel at night and in fog, because accidents are common in low visibility and the risk of crime is higher at night. It also advises against travelling alone or hailing taxis on the street, especially at night, and asks pedestrians to take care crossing roads after dark, when vehicles sometimes drive on the wrong side.
• Australia. Smartraveller advises avoiding travel alone, especially at night, on public transport and in cars, taxis and rickshaws, and avoiding less populous and unlit areas, including city streets, village lanes and beaches.
• Canada. Canada advises against travelling outside urban centres after dark and against travelling alone, especially at night, and asks travellers not to share taxis with strangers.

None of this means staying in after sunset. It means planning how you will get back before you go out, and keeping long journeys to daylight where you can.

Many international flights land in India late at night, so the first journey is often the one to plan most carefully. The three governments point to the same options:

• A pre-paid taxi. Australia advises using a pre-paid taxi service on arrival at the airport, and Canada suggests officially marked taxis or pre-paid transport. Both warn against unmarked private cars.
• An app-based taxi. The UK notes that app-based taxis such as Uber and Ola are widely available, including in all airport terminal buildings. Australia adds that ride-hailing apps need a local SIM card; our guide to money and SIM cards for visitors explains how to get one.
• A hotel or booked transfer. The UK says many hotels offer transfers, and that a driver collecting you should identify themselves properly before you set off. Australia suggests checking that anyone holding a placard with your name knows where you are going.

On our trips, the transfer is arranged before you fly: a driver meets you in the arrivals hall with a name board and tracks your flight, so a late landing does not leave you without a ride. See airport transfers.

Book rather than hail. The UK, Australian and Canadian governments all prefer a taxi booked through an app, a hotel or an official taxi stand to one flagged down on the street, and Australia warns that cars hailed on the street may not be legitimate taxis. When you book through an app, the UK notes, you can usually share the journey details with your contacts so they can follow your route.

Two smaller points from the advice: Canada suggests agreeing the fare in advance or insisting on the meter, and the UK points out that seatbelts are rare in three-wheeled auto-rickshaws and in the back of taxis, so it suggests choosing taxis that have them.

The UK Foreign Office calls train travel in India generally safe, with police or guards on trains and at stations if you need help, and reminds travellers to carry valid identification. Theft is the main warning: Australia names overnight and long-distance trains among the places theft is common, and Canada advises checking that every bag in your compartment belongs to you or another passenger, not leaving the compartment unattended, and locking the doors. Both the UK and Canada advise refusing food or drinks from strangers on board. Australia suggests finding out where the emergency exits are.

For help on a train, call 139, which the National Portal of India lists as the railway helpline for security and medical assistance. Our guide to train travel for foreign visitors explains classes and booking.

The UK says India has a high death rate from road accidents and that buses are often driven fast and recklessly. Australia lists the hazards that make night driving worse: poor or no lighting, vehicles with headlights off or on high beam, livestock on the road and vehicles travelling against the traffic. Fog adds to them in winter: Australia says fog often affects northern India, especially in December and January, delaying flights and trains and making roads dangerous.

So plan long road journeys for daylight. On our trips a private car and driver handle the road, and the day is planned so that long drives finish before dark where the route allows; our private car and driver page explains how that works, and getting around India compares the options.

• 112 for police, fire and ambulance, also reachable through the 112 India app, which can share your location.
• 181 for the Women Helpline, at any hour.
• 139 for railway security and medical help.
• 1363 for the Ministry of Tourism's tourist helpline, which runs day and night in 12 languages.

Women travelling alone will find the specific advice in our page on women's safety in India, and the wider picture is in our India safety guide.