BENGALURU: Average daily ridership on Namma Metro has seen a 13% drop since fares were revised in the second week of Feb. While the average daily ridership for the month preceding Feb 9, when the fare hike was effected, was nearly 8.2 lakh, the next 20 days saw the number falling to nearly 7.1 lakh – a drop of 13%.
Month on month, Feb witnessed a 20% drop in ridership. While 2.5 crore passengers travelled on Metro in Jan, Feb saw the number nosedive to 2 crore, according to data from Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation.
While BMRCL claimed the average rate hike was 46%, passengers alleged that on some sections, the increase was up to 110%. Following public outrage, the hike was moderated in fares in some stages, where fares increased by up to 110%, the management decided to revisit the fare matrix. Shortdistance travel was provided some relief, but long-distance passengers alleged the rejigging of the fare matrix did not help them.
After the fare revision, the base fare of Namma Metro was fixed at Rs 10, and the maximum Rs 90. Despite restructuring of fare matrices, the ridership is still southbound. The lowest ridership of slightly over 4.9 lakh was recorded on Feb 23. After the hike, the daily ridership crossed the 8-lakh mark only twice — on Feb 10 and 24. The fare hike has forced thousands of passengers to use their private vehicles or city buses. Students and lowerincome groups using the Metro were hit badly. Asked about what measures BMRCL has taken to im prove the ridership, its MD Maheshwar Rao said, “We are analyzing the data and impact on ridership.” Replying to a question whether the BMRCL will revisit the metro fare hike, the official said, “I’ve no comments.”
Passengers are questioning why both central and state govts are buying time to address the grievances of those affected by fare hikes. Subramanya B, a regular commuter, said, “The primary objective of the Metro was to decongest the city by making it affordable travel. But govts are going against the interest of people.”
When other Metros are issuing concessional passes for students, BMRCL charges students on a par with other passengers. Anupama, a student, said, “Students are not in a position to pay Rs 3,500 a month for travel in Namma Metro. This has resulted in a burden on parents.”