Delhi Metro Rail Corporation will be introducing audio-based advertisements as a pilot project for a year on six trains on the Violet Line, officials said on Tuesday.
The initiative will be starting on the trains running between Kashmere Gate and Badarpur Border.
“Based on the feedback received from this pilot project, the DMRC will expand this revenue-generating avenue to other metro lines as well,” said a senior DMRC official.
The official said as the metro services remained suspended for a considerable period during the COVID pandemic.
“The services could only be resumed in phases with a number of restrictions. So, the DMRC is taking a number of steps to further augment its revenue from non-ticketing sources so that it could continue to operate smoothly,” he added.
Metro services in other cities, including Mumbai, are actively providing advertising opportunities to its partners. The idea was proposed by Pindrop Metro Tech Pvt. Ltd., a specially curated advertising solutions firm.
Commuters flay idea
However, some commuters were not thrilled at the announcement.
Saksham Agarwal, a chartered accountant who travels on the Violet Line six days a week, told The Hindu that his 40-minute commute from Chhatarpur to ITO early in the morning daily is bearable as there is no repetition of loud announcements.
“One is only alerted by the arrival of a station and it makes travel easy,” he added.
For Disha Sen, the inclusion of audio advertisements may prove to be a “nightmare”. “Many of us who travel for close to an hour by the metro choose to read during the journey. Constant playing of advertisements will disturb the quiet,” she said.
Published - December 06, 2023 01:32 am IST
