Bengaluru Metro ridership falls from 8 lakh to 6 lakh: Report

Bengaluru, Feb 18 (PTI) The number of passengers travelling in metro train in Bengaluru has come down substantially as an effect of an exorbitant fare hike, sources in the BMRCL said on Tuesday.

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Every day about 8.5 lakh passengers were travelling in the metro train regularly before the hike was effected, they said.

On February 8, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) authorities increased the fare by almost 100 per cent. In addition to it, the BMRCL started charging 5 per cent extra during 'peak hour'.

Ten days after the hike was effected, it has come to light that the ridership has been reduced to 6.3 lakh a day, BMRCL sources said.

"There was a decline in metro ridership by about 2.3 lakh. The expected revenue from the hike has not been achieved. So, our revenue is still the same, or less than it, compared to what it was before February 9 when the hike was effected," a BMRCL source told PTI.

The ridership came down despite the BMRCL putting a cap of 71 per cent hike in the metro rail fare instead of over 100 per cent in some sections.

The BMRCL decided to ‘recalibrate’ its fare hike after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah intervened and directed the BMRCL Managing Director M Maheshwar Rao to take a relook at his decision as the fare hike was more than 100 per cent in some sections.

The Metro Rail authorities would hold a review meeting on March 1 on the effect of the fare hike, the sources added.

BJP MP P C Mohan on Tuesday claimed that the metro fare hike has caused a loss of 6.26 lakh passengers since the fare hike on February 9.

"Karnataka Congress' government’s mismanagement has deeply harmed Bengaluru Metro, causing a loss of over 6.26 lakh passengers since the fare hike on February 9," Mohan said in a post on ‘X’. PTI