Since the resumption of Namma Metro services a little over a month ago, ridership has gradually increased reaching 56,000 on October 12, but is yet to reach the pre-COVID-19 level when around four lakh commuters were using the mass transit system every day.
When services resumed on September 7 on the Purple Line, ridership was only around 3,700. Now, the number of people using Namma Metro has crossed 56,000.
Yeshwanth Chavan, Chief PRO of BMRCL, said they are operating 271 round trips on both lines every day.
On the Purple Line (Mysuru Road to Baiyappanahalli), 135 trips are being operated using 21 trains. On the Green Line (Yelachenahalli to Nagasandra), BMRCL is operating 136 trips using 25 trains.
“To contain the spread of COVID-19, we are operating trains as per the SoP issued by the government. Ridership remains low compared to pre-lockdown days as companies have asked employees to work from home and educational institutions are closed,” he said.
BMRCL has released a video on social media to create awareness and educate commuters on the safety precautions in place.
Raghava S., a regular commuter, said, “In the early days, the coaches were practically empty. Gradually, the number of passengers began increasing. BMRCL should make sure that SoPs are strictly followed by deploying more security staff on platforms.”
A.S. Shankar, executive director (operations) of BMRCL, said that staff have been instructed to identify and warn passengers who fail to wear masks properly or follow social distancing rules. “Passengers have to sanitise their hands before entering stations. They are screened at the entrance, and those who have fever are not allowed to enter,” he said.
Card validity
BMRCL, in a press release issued on Thursday, stated that passengers who recharge their smart cards online and fail to produce them at automatic ticket gates within seven days, can now approach the ‘Customer Care’ at stations for validation of the card (credit of the top-up amount).
Passengers have to bring their smart cards to the customer care counter along with proof of online top-up. However, passengers should use the card at least once within 60 days (from the date of recharge) after the top-up amount has been credited. If they fail to do so, the transaction will lapse.
“In the interest of commuter safety, BMRCL notifies that all commuters who initiate recharge through website, BMRCL‘s mobile app or Karnataka Mobile One shall present their cards within seven days of payment initiation, so that metro travel will be by contactless payments. Approaching customer care for effecting top-up involves manual interaction, which is to be avoided as far as possible and resorted to only if unavoidable, in view of the pandemic,” said the release.
