Transport (in)justice and the city: a relational analysis of transport in India

Abstract Most research on transport and equity has conceptualised justice primarily in distributive terms, focusing on how transport-related benefits and burdens are allocated across social groups. Drawing on Relational Egalitarianism, a recent strand in political philosophy, Piazza and Martens (Transp Rev 46:131–150, 2026) argue for broadening this perspective by incorporating a relational understanding of justice in transport domain. Building on the work of Elizabeth Anderson, they distinguish three core dimensions of relational inequality: hierarchies of power, standing, and esteem. This paper adopts this framework to examine how such hierarchies are produced and reproduced within the transport systems of medium-sized Indian cities. The analysis is based on extensive fieldwork undertaken in Siliguri, a historic railway town in eastern India. The empirical material comprises interviews with three groups: 11 institutional stakeholders, experts, and decision-makers; 400 households living in slums across the city; and 391 shop owners operating in neighbourhoods surrounding railway stations, whose livelihoods are directly shaped by decisions taken by transport authorities. The findings reveal the presence of all three relational hierarchies. Transport decision-making is dominated by elite actors and guided primarily by political priorities, while meaningful public engagement remains limited, especially for marginalised groups (hierarchy of power). Transport development is commonly understood by decision-makers as road construction, flyovers, and traffic management, which sidelines non-motorised mobility (hierarchy of standing). Slum residents and small business owners are frequently treated as second-rate citizens, which reflects deeply embedded hierarchies of esteem. In addition, gendered social norms place further constraints on mobility, particularly for women. Overall, the paper shows how a relational perspective brings into view forms of transport injustice that are overlooked when equity is understood only in distributive terms.