About seven in ten corporate occupiers say travel distance and connectivity rank highest when choosing new workplace locations, according to the 2026 India Office Occupier Survey by CBRE South Asia Pvt. Ltd.. Traffic snarls and long journeys also appear as leading infrastructure headaches.
Roughly 18 % of respondents would pay extra for a property that sits near public-transport hubs. Anshuman Magazine, chairman and CEO for the region, noted that as Indian cities densify, firms are counting travel costs directly into lease calculations. Such willingness to pay reflects a broader shift toward sustainable commuting options.
Ram Chandnani added that access to transit, talent pools, and reliable last-mile links now influences decisions as much as rent or prestige. In several deals he’s following, proximity to rail or metro stations is evaluated before any financial terms are discussed.
Beyond transit, half of the surveyed companies cite poor air quality as a major threat to operations and employee well-being, while 31 % point to water scarcity and 29 % worry about waste-management shortfalls.
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State authorities are responding with targeted upgrades. In Mumbai, the slated completion of Metro lines 2B, 4, and 6 by 2027 is expected to boost leasing activity in Worli, BKC and Powai.
In Delhi-NCR, the upcoming Golden Line and the proposed Yamuna Pushta raised expressway are drawing early interest from occupiers.
Leasing decisions are evolving fast.
Southern markets see similar moves: Chennai’s six-lane Peripheral Ring Road, due late 2026, and Pune’s airport expansions are opening new sub-markets for technology Global Capability Centers.
