Forgetting your Delhi Metro smart card is alright occasionally, but there some stations where it is better to avoid the token counters.
According to latest data from the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), New Delhi, Chandni Chowk, Rajiv Chowk, Kashmere Gate and Shahdara stations see the highest sale of tokens almost throughout the year. At the same time, while 70.18 per cent of commuters on the DMRC network use smart cards, there are a few stations where the sale of tokens surpasses the use of cards.
“Stations like Anand Vihar, Inderlok and New Delhi are where more tokens are sold than the use of smart cards. This is because passengers here are not regular commuters,” said a Metro official. Chandni Chowk and Shahdara, which are known as shopping hubs, see high demand for tokens as well.
The average sale of tokens in the Delhi Metro network is 8, 15,906 each day. “Over 5.56 crore people use smart cards, while 2.36 crore use tokens to travel. At 55.04 per cent, Anand Vihar metro station sees the highest number of first-time users in the network because of its proximity to the bus stand and the railway station,” added the official.
Tapping this token-based commuter base, the DMRC has now launched a micro advertisement scheme to earn more revenue.
