Kochi metro patronage constant despite floods, KSRTC trimming services

Daily ridership hovered at 65,000 in the past week

The daily patronage of the Kochi Metro hovered at approximately 65,000 during the past week, despite the KSRTC cutting down its schedules and intense rainfall causing waterlogging in the city hub and low-lying areas.

Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) had launched promotional campaigns through social media to woo commuters to the system of mass rapid transport, citing how they could reach their destinations in a comfortable and much faster way using the metro, than through congested and waterlogged roads.

Official sources attributed the metro’s patronage not showing a marked increase during the past week, despite odds faced by commuters who relied on roads, to inadequate first- and last-mile connectivity from the stations. The metro agency is yet to rope in adequate number of autorickshaws and buses to operate on feeder routes, five years since the project was commissioned.

That many people preferred to stay at home during the rainy weather could be another reason for the patronage not showing a noticeable increase, they said.

Commuter response to the discounted weekly and monthly passes that were launched in July is also inadequate, it is learnt. Metro officials hope it picks up gradually, especially once the Pettah-SN Junction stretch is commissioned.