HERE Technologies has released findings from its latest regional study, titled “Inside the Two-Wheeler Landscape in APAC: Key Trends and Rider Behaviors”, highlighting how deeply navigation systems have become integrated into the daily lives of two-wheeler riders in India.
The study, conducted by Point Consulting across six Asia-Pacific markets including India, surveyed more than 2,400 riders, of which 404 respondents were from India. The findings reveal that Indian riders rely heavily on real-time navigation tools to deal with congested roads, unpredictable traffic conditions and the growing pressures of time-sensitive mobility.
According to the report, 61% of surveyed riders in India said they use navigation systems “often” or “always”, making India one of the most navigation-dependent markets in the Asia-Pacific region. Riders increasingly evaluate navigation platforms based on how accurately they reflect real road conditions, traffic patterns and on-ground constraints rather than just map accuracy alone.
The study found that Indian riders place the highest importance on real-time traffic alerts, accurate estimated time of arrival (ETA), turn-by-turn voice guidance and clear full-screen map displays. These features are helping riders make quicker decisions, avoid bottlenecks and maintain smoother movement through highly dynamic traffic conditions.
For many users, navigation has evolved beyond convenience and is now becoming an essential productivity and stress-management tool in everyday commuting.
The report also highlighted the growing dependence of India’s gig and delivery workforce on accurate navigation systems. Delivery riders identified poor routing, inaccurate travel time estimates and unsafe shortcut suggestions as major operational challenges that directly affect earnings, delivery efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Surveyed delivery riders said features such as safer route recommendations, optimised multi-stop routing and instant diversions during congestion were among the most critical functions for maintaining productivity and income stability.
The study further revealed that Indian riders are increasingly valuing safety-focused navigation features due to the country’s complex and unpredictable road conditions. Alerts related to potholes, damaged road surfaces, accident-prone areas, sharp curves and well-lit route suggestions for night riding were identified as important tools for improving rider confidence and situational awareness.
Mr. Shyam Shankar Raman, Business Segment Head for Two‑Wheelers, Asia Pacific at HERE Technologies, said Indian riders judge navigation systems based on how effectively they understand real roads, real traffic and real-world riding constraints. He noted that in India, navigation is now closely linked with daily productivity, rider confidence and safety awareness.
The findings underline how navigation technology is becoming increasingly mission-critical in India’s fast-growing urban mobility ecosystem, especially as traffic congestion intensifies and gig-economy driven delivery services continue to expand rapidly.
