Delhi Metro sees record 82.44 lakh passenger boardings amid DTC bus strike

DTC has 6,840 buses, and witnesses an average daily ridership of around 40 lakh on normal days. In light of the ongoing DTC strike, metro stations have been witnessing heavy crowding over the past couple of days.

Ridership on Monday stood at 72.73 lakh passenger boardings. By Tuesday, passenger boardings rose to 76.86 lakh. It climbed even further on Wednesday to 80.71 lakhs, before hitting a record 82.44 lakh on Thursday.

A passenger journey however, is not the number of people who ride the metro on that day. It is the number of metro lines used by a passenger to complete his or her journey. For instance, if a passenger changes a line once to reach his destination, it will be calculated as two journeys, and if she changes their line twice, it will be calculated as three journeys. Delhi Metro used to calculate passenger ridership until 2018, but it started reporting passenger journeys from 2019.

Officials said the network’s previous highest ridership had been 81.88 lakh boardings recorded on August 8, 2025, which was the eve of Rakshabandhan. The next highest figure of 81.01 lakh was achieved on August 27 of this year, which was again the Rakshabandhan eve.

Last year, August 11 saw 80.97 lakh passenger journeys.

Wednesday, the second day of the strike, saw the next highest ridership at 80.71 lakh.

The protesting drivers are seeking better service conditions, including a minimum daily wage of Rs 2,000, an annual bonus, payment for working on government holidays, and medical insurance, among other demands.