Kochi Metro sees steep increase in ridership

Kochi: Even when the annual loss is increasing, the Kochi Metro could make big leap in terms of increase in number of riders. The mass transit system showed a steep increase in the number of riders when compared to last year.

The ridership doubled in the last five months of 2019 compared to that of 2018. During the month of December, the ridership touched an all time high of 21,08,108 while it was only 12,48,874 during December 2018. The trend continued in January 2020 with 20,74,430 travellers using the Metro for their travel needs.

"Since the opening of Thykoodam stretch there is a steady increase in ridership. We are witnessing heavy rush during the peak hours. To cater to the needs of commuters, we have already reduced the headway to six minutes during peak hours. The trend suggests that people are happy to use the metro for their regular commute and the growth actually accelerated in the past year,” said Kochi Metro Rail Limited managing director Alkesh Kumar Sharma.

Kochi Metro is also planning to increase the last mile connectivity for its passengers. Discussions with educational institutions along the Metro Corridor, Infopark and corporates to provide last mile connectivity are in final stages, he added.

There has been increase in the number of Kochi1 card users. There are 73,000 active Kochi 1 card users and they form 29 percent of total ridership. KMRL has also introduced minor cards to encourage school children above the age of 10 years.