Metro ridership.
Credit: DH Photo
Bengaluru: Namma Metro recorded a ridership of 7.78 lakh on Tuesday, an approximately 10% drop from the 8.5-9 lakh usually recorded on weekdays.
This was the second weekday straight when there was a noticeable fall in metro ridership after the fare revision.
Starting February 9, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has hiked its fares by an average of 51.15% before discounts and 45-46% after discounts. However, fares on rides ranging from 5 to 25 km have increased by as much as 100%, resulting in widespread discontent.
February 10 (Monday), the first weekday since the fare hike, saw a ridership of 8.28 lakh, a 6% drop over the average of 8.8 lakh seen on Mondays this year.
Ridership appeared to slide further on February 11 (Tuesday), with only 7,78,774 passengers travelling by the metro.
While BMRCL officials have indicated that technical glitches might have caused anomalies in the fare revision and that they were looking to address them, a well-placed source ruled out any rationalisation of the fare zones, as demanded by passengers.
Regular commuters want the fare zones to change by Rs 5 instead of Rs 10 so that there is no steep increase in ticket prices.
However, BMRCL officials argue that the fare zones recommended by the Fare Fixation Committee were "sacrosanct and cannot be tampered with". Any relief in the fares can be provided only within the framework of the FCC's recommendations, they added.