Close on the heels of placing orders for a dedicated fleet of 15 e-buses to operate services on Kochi metro’s feeder routes from June, Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) is gearing up to operate share e-autos in feeder routes from metro stations.
Trials would shortly begin in the Cusat metro station-Cusat campus corridor. At Present, a few dozen e-autos operate from select metro stations, including from recently commissioned Thripunithura terminal station. However, they do not operate as share autos. The development comes in the wake of increasing demand, including from Infopark and educational institutions, to operate share e-autos from metro stations, it is learnt.
Share autos that operate in many metro cities are yet to officially foray into Kochi. Till recently, these cost-effective services operated from High Court Junction to different locales on the Goshree islands where there was inadequate bus connectivity.
“Share autos that have been mulled from metro stations are expected to augment first-and-last mile connectivity for commuters and leave a lesser carbon footprint,” official sources said. Most autos charge ₹40 as minimum fare and this might not be affordable for a commuter who travels in the metro where the minimum fare is ₹20. He might even have to pay ₹40 again as auto fare, ending up paying ₹100 for travelling one way. He could save ₹50, if he was able to travel in a share auto with other passengers on the route by paying ₹15,” they added.
The Regional Transport Authority had accorded sanction for share e-autos in Kochi, in 2022.
A fleet of e-autos that were launched as part of the Kochi Corporation’s e-mobility scheme to promote sustainable and eco-friendly modes of commute were to operate as share autos. But their formal operation did not pick up reportedly because a few auto-driver unions were afraid this would affect autos already operating in the greater-Kochi region. The Corporation had in 2013 recommended share autos in the city in order to provide commuters with an affordable and reliable mode of public transport.
