Pune Metro Sees Drop in Ridership in November: Here’s Why
In a surprising turn of events, Pune’s Metro system witnessed a significant decline in ridership during the month of November. The number of passengers using the Metro fell by nearly 5 lakh, dropping from 48.1 lakh in October to 43 lakh in November.
Officials have attributed this drop to the Diwali holiday break and the subsequent closure of educational institutions for a couple of weeks. As many daily commuters on the Metro are students, the closure of schools and colleges had a major impact on ridership numbers.
However, the decrease in ridership is expected to be temporary, with a noticeable uptick in the final week of November and the beginning of December. Daily ridership has already surged to 1.4 lakh in the first five days of December as schools, colleges, and offices resumed full operations.
To encourage more students to use the Metro, Maha Metro introduced the “Vidyarthi” (student) card, offering discounted fares for students. Over 15,000 student cards have already been issued, showing a positive response from the student community.
Looking ahead, officials are optimistic about achieving a daily ridership of 2 lakh passengers in the coming months. However, regular commuters have emphasized the need for improved last-mile connectivity to make the Metro more accessible to all.
Overall, while the drop in ridership may have been concerning, the future looks promising for Pune’s Metro system as efforts are being made to boost ridership and enhance connectivity for a better commuting experience.
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