Chennai
According to officials, the Metro on February 19 saw a footfall of 74,968 passengers, including 8,693 in the North Chennai extension line.
On the first day of fare reduction on Monday, the Metro’s ridership went up to 86,102, while 12,000 passengers used the Washermanpet-Wimco Nagar line. On Tuesday, the footfall increased further to 86,762, including 12,500 in the North Chennai line, recording an overall growth of 15 per cent and 43 per cent in the North line.
The reduction of fares by capping the maximum fare at Rs 50 from Rs 70 seems to have brought more passengers, particularly in the North Chennai line. A CMRL official said the patronage was expected to go up further in the coming days following the fare reduction and introduction of shared autos for the last mile connectivity.
The official noted that the passengers using the cashless payment like QR code or travel card would get a discount of 20 per cent, which would bring down the maximum fare to Rs 40 and minimum to Rs 8. “We hope more office goers would switch over to the Metro in the coming days with the fare reduction and discounts making it more attractive and also pollution and traffic-free ride to the destination on time.
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