KOCHI: Kochi Metro service, which registered a significant dip in revenue collection in the second month of commercial operations, has now picked up in ticket sales. With festival holidays starting, the Metro service has been witnessing a significant increase in the number of riders. “Ridership has picked up from the last couple of days with an increase of 43 to 40 percent in ticket sales. Gradual increase in ticket sales has been seen from Wednesday and the trend is likely to continue during the holidays. Families coming from other parts of Ernakulam to the city for Onam shopping opt for a Metro ride,” said top sources at Kochi Metro Rail Limited.
The daily average revenue has increased to Rs.4 lakh - Rs.7 lakh after the holidays started. However, KMRL has not introduced any festival special fare package for commuters. The metro which was commissioned in June had attracted a good ridership during the first month as indicated by the revenue of Rs 4.62 crore. The first day collection was Rs 20.42 lakh from ticket sales. But, after the initial excitement, the number of joy riders dropped and the revenue started decreasing.
KMRL is expecting sustainable increase in the number of regular commuters only after commissioning of the second reach up to Maharajas. “Revenue in the initial stage will not be sustainable as most of the commuters are joy riders who cannot be counted as regular commuters. More regular commuters will shift to the Metro once it reaches the city and feeder services become fully operational,” sources added.
