Metro may feel the pinch once novelty wears off
BMRCL may find it tough to make ends meet after the initial euphoria
If commuter figures are anything to go by, it is clear that the earnings from the functional crowd or the ones who will actually use the Metro on a daily basis is going to be less than how much BMRCL requires to operate at profit or at least meet its operating costs.
While on Sunday, BMRCL made around Rs 13 lakh with almost 70,000 passengers on board, the very next day, the passenger figure plummeted to almost half the number - 39,956 to be precise, earning Rs 7.05 lakh.
After the craze on the inaugural day and the weekend waned, the first week day - Monday - was crucial to gauge the actual number of passengers who will travel on a daily basis.
Influx of people
While the Deepavali crowd started coming on Tuesday, it picked up pace on Wednesday with most offices being closed. On Tuesday, a total of 42,615 had got a feel of the Metro. As many as 42,000 passengers travelled on the Metro on Wednesday till 6 pm.
It is interesting to note that the passenger figures include those travelling with smart cards, bought both online and offline. On Monday, BMRCL earned Rs 7.05 lakh and the following day, Rs 6.76 lakh. Till 6 pm on Wednesday, BMRCL raked in Rs 6.9 lakh.
While the increased rush is the festival crowd, officials are currently dreading the day when the initial excitement peters out and festival fever wears thin.
Metro Feeder
BMTC is already suffering losses, operating the feeder services for Metro. Over the past six days, BMTC feeder buses have fetched only Rs 2,15,000, with around 24,000 commuters.
A BMTC official said that to continue operating the feeder services, with the current fleet of 60 buses, the corporation needs Rs 2.5 lakh per day.
Not many Metro-bus passes have been sold till now, with only 44 of the Saral category being issued. In the higher-end Saraag (Volvo-Metro) category, only six cards have been sold.
Gathering suggestions
BMTC is pooling in all suggestions it has received online and through feedback forms.
It will hold a meeting on Friday to decide further action or changes, if required, to improve and sustain the feeder service.
