Steep fare hike will kill Delhi Metro, says CM Arvind Kejriwal, Centre defends move

“This steep hike in Metro will kill Delhi Metro. If people stop using it, then what purpose does it serve,” Kejriwal tweeted.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri said that despite the hike, the Metro’s fares were among the “lowest in the world and in India”. “The fare hike has not led to a decline in Metro ridership. In 2016, for instance, there was a dip in ridership by 1.3 lakh between September and October despite there being no change in fares,” Puri said.

A ministry official said, “Fare is one factor, but there could be several others… There is month to month variation throughout the year. Therefore, fluctuation in ridership cannot be solely attributed to increase in fare.”

The official also pointed out that ridership has “shown a rising trend” in November. “On previous occasions when the fare was hiked, there was a temporary dip in ridership, which then recovered… The increase in fares in May 2017 resulted in a decline for one month (June). But the next three months showed an increase in ridership. Ridership in November 2017 has also shown a rising trend. So, assessment of average ridership after fare hike should be made after a few months,” he said.

The official added that the drop in October was also because of festivals and holidays: “In the month of October, there were five Sundays in comparison to September with four (Sundays), where ridership is around 60-70% of the working day ridership… October started with a long weekend/extended holiday due to Dussehra falling on September 30, followed by Gandhi Jayanti on October 2. The month also witnessed extended weekends/holidays due to festivals of Diwali, Chhath Puja, Bhai Duj, etc.”