Mumbai Metro One is gearing up to operate services in a post-lockdown scenario and has started pasting stickers on every alternate seat to ensure physical distancing in trains. People won’t be allowed to sit on seats marked with ‘X’.
Sources in the know of the arrangements said the decision to paste stickers is to ensure that there is no haggling of seats once people board the train. “If seats were left unmarked, it would be open to interpretation as to which ones should be occupied, and this can lead to unnecessary tiffs between commuters,” they said.
Mumbai Metro One Private Limited (MMOPL), which runs the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar Mumbai Metro One, is also planning to do away with tokens and will issue paper tickets that are disposable. However, it will encourage commuters to book via mobile application or use smart cards, to reduce the number of people at ticket counters.
Sources said MMOPL is in the process of drafting a protocol to be followed to ensure that physical distancing is maintained. Among the measures being mulled is to limit the number of entry and exit gates, earmark gates for entry and exit, and to ensure that there are thermal scanners and hand sanitisers at the entry.
