Bengaluru Metro Ridership Drops After Fare Hike, Slowly Recovers in April

Bengaluru: Namma Metro's average daily passenger count fell by almost 80,000 in March, which was the first full month after ticket prices were raised.

However, the number of riders started going up again in April, and it may soon reach the same level as before the hike, according to a Deccan Herald analysis.

On February 9, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) increased metro ticket prices by about 51.55% before discounts and 41.7% after discounts.

On some metro routes, ticket prices were increased by as much as 100%.

After people strongly protested the increase, BMRCL changed the highest price hike to 71.42%, four days later.

In February, a total of 2.09 crore people used the metro, which is a daily average of 7.49 lakh passengers.

But the real impact of the price hike was seen in March, when the daily average dropped to 7.24 lakh, which is about 80,000 fewer riders than in January’s 8.03 lakh.

The ridership numbers for May have not been released yet.

BMRCL has also not shared how much money it earned from ticket sales since the price hike.

Glitch at Majestic Station

A technical problem at the Majestic interchange station caused delays on the Purple Line during busy morning hours on Monday.

BMRCL said the glitch lasted only three minutes, and trains started running again quickly.

But the effects lasted longer than that. At Majestic station, passengers have been waiting more than 10 minutes. The situation remains safe even after 11 am.

Normally, during rush hour, trains arrive every 3 to 5 minutes.

Because of this glitch, many trains were stuck at Majestic for several minutes, which caused delays across the rest of the metro system.

Metro Ridership – Total and Daily Average

January: 2,49,14,736 total (8,03,701 per day)

February: 2,09,90,894 total (7,49,674 per day)

March: 2,24,63,620 total (7,24,633 per day)

April: 2,28,66,345 total (7,62,211 per day)