BMRCL concerned as growing ridership coincides with second Covid-19 wave

Undeterred by the alarming rise in Covid-19 cases, ridership on Namma Metro is progressively growing even as the authorities struggle to ensure a
safe atmosphere for their commute.

The metro’s average daily ridership is yet to cross two lakhs due to limited operations and the curb on occupancy levels recommended in the guidelines, while the pre-pandemic average of 4.5 lakh is still some distance away.

But the number of people taking the metro is steadily growing and the infection rate is breaking all previous records. The officials are also noticing widespread ignorance among riders about safety measures.

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The average ridership was 31,000 when the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) resumed operations in September.

Numbers doubled in a month, stood at 65,000 in November and crossed the one-lakh mark in January.

With the ridership reaching 1.5 lakh in March, signs of the second wave also became apparent, prompting officials to penalise riders without masks.

“After displays and announcements of safety rules for months, we started charging fines. From April 5 to 12, 440 passengers have been fined Rs 250 for riding without masks,” said B L Yashavanth Chavan, Chief Public Relations Officer, BMRCL. “But that is not the answer,” he added.

“Nothing can beat people’s cooperation in this crisis. We continue to appeal to the passengers to follow the rules.”

RTC strike

Since last week, when road transport corporations’ workers began their strike, the metro has become the sole public transport service.

Trains had been overcrowded on several occasions, which officials said were exceptions since they strictly enforce the curb on ridership.

On April 9, the ridership figures reached 1.8 lakh, the same day when the Covid-19 figures touched the previously unseen levels of 5,576.

It kept breaching several new milestones since and got to 10,497 on Thursday.

Asked about any possible changes to further limit crowding, Chavan said they were yet to receive any communication.