KOCHI: The number of commuters taking ride in Kochi Metro is on steady rise since December. Currently, the average daily ridership is in the range of 45, 000 to 50,000 which was 35,000 to 45,000 earlier.
“Since December 21, the Metro system has been witnessing steady increase. The trains experienced heavy traffic even during weekdays, thanks to the holiday season. There is increase in number of bulk booking and joy riders during holidays,” said sources at Kochi Metro Rail Corporation.
The increase in ridership was seen even during hartal and 48-hour national strike days. A total of 23,000 passengers used the mass transit system on hartal day.
There also has been a steady resposnse for the monthly pass being issued by the KMRL. When the Metro service commenced in the Aluva – Palarivattom stretch in June 2017, the average daily ridership was 20,000 to 25,000 while the number has gradually increased to 35,000 to 40,000 with the opening of the second stretch from Palarivattom to Maharajas College.
The KMRL expects daily ridership of 60,000 to 65,000 by June next year when the service will be extended to Thykoodam from Maharajas. The Metro agency has plans to roll out more products like daily passes, students passes and weekly passes to increase footfalls in the metro.
With the increase in number of commuters, the KMRL will be able to bring down the gap between the income and expenditure. Initially, it was Rs 6 crore per month which has been reduced to Rs 3.60 crore now which will further come down. There has been increase in both ticket and non-ticket revenue collection, according to KMRL sources. Currently, the non-ticketing revenue is more than 12 lakhs per day.
