35% of Metro riders are back on the train
About 35 per cent of the passengers have returned to using Metro services provided by the
According to the ridership figures, the average daily ridership in January was 1.15 lakh and saw a
Although the officials believe re-introducing the token system could increase the daily ridership by 10-20%, the BMRCL is waiting for the instructions from the
Currently, we are not even thinking about issuing tokens in the backdrop of the second wave of Covid-19 and increase in cases in the neighbouring states
–A BMRCL official
During the pre-covid days, around 45 per cent of the passengers who travelled in the Metro purchased tokens by paying cash at the counters. The BMRCL discontinued the facility to ensure contactless travel amid the fear of Covid spread.
Commuters have claimed that they noticed many passengers returning from the Metro stations due to the withdrawal of the token facility. “Smart cards are of help only to regular passengers. For those who just come to the city in search of a job or not-so-regular travels, have to spend Rs 100 to buy smart card and another Rs 50 to travel in the Metro,” BC Manjunath, a regular Metro commuter, said.
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Mysuru line in June
In a unique gesture, the BMRCL Managing Director
“In the year 2021, in addition to opening 6 km network from Yelachenahalli to Silk Institute Metro Stations for passenger’s services on January 15, we are also targeting the Western Extension with a length of 7 km and 6 Stations for commissioning in June 2021,” he said in the note.
