Thank you Shrutin.Your suggestions are very useful. In places where last mile connectivity is impossible or unsustainable with conventional public transport, I suggest it is up to us to look for alternatives. A jointly owned pool of vehicles to connect a settlement with the nearest bus or train stop, for instance can do wonders.

In India, I love the solution where vans or jeeps or pick-up trucks are waiting at the end side of a village and the driver is shouting out his destination — only leaving when his van is fully packed with commuters and travelers. I myself have traveled thousands of miles that way, all the way through Bihar and Jharkhand and UP.