Pune Metro: One corridor, three mass transport systems and a competition on the cards

Pune Metro will take at least three years to be flagged off. BRTS on Pune-Mumbai highway stretch is likely to see its trial run this week and might take off around January 26. The local trains between Pune and Lonavla have been in service for 40 years now.
Commuters heading for Shivajinagar area or Pimpri will have a choice between the three. And the obvious question uppermost in their mind would be the fare structure. While BRTS and railways offer the cheapest fare, Metro cost is likely to be double or much more than the BRTS and local train fares.

As a result, Metro is likely to find it difficult to attract enough passengers. In the past, whenever PMPML has hiked fares, even by one or two rupees, there have been protests from the commuters. While Pune Metro officials say commuters will undoubtedly prefer Metro rail given the speed with which it will ensure that they reach their destination besides the rapid frequency of metro rakes, BRTS and railways point at cheap fares which would keep commuters in their nests.

Pointing out how lowly train fares are, Railway spokesperson Manoj Jhanvar said that from Pune station to Akurdi — a distance of nearly 20 km – the local train fare per person was Rs 5. “And if the commuter takes a monthly pass, it would cost him Rs 100 which will be to and fro fare,” he said.

Similarly, BRTS officials said that for Pimpri to Shivajinagar, a distance of 10 km, BRTS fare will be Rs 20 or Rs 25 per person. “Besides, BRTS benefits commuters if they are travelling short distances. Metro comes into play if they are travelling direct from Pimpri to Swargate,” officials said.

Pune Metro’s likely plan is to charge Rs 10 for the first two km and Rs 50 beyond that. Pune Metro officials, however, said that currently they were not thinking about the fare structure. Brijesh Dixit, managing director of Maha Metro, which is implementing the Pune Metro project, said their plan was to integrate all the three modes of transport under Multi-Modal Integration Plan. “We want to ensure seamless integration of the three services and offer fares which are reasonable and services which have speed and comfort for the commuters,” he said.

Dixit agreed with BRTS officials that for long distance — from Pimpri to Swargate — Metro will remain the best option. “For short distances, where a bus stop is located at every 500 metres, BRTS will be the option,” he said. Railways, however, assert that there will be little change in commuter preference for local trains.

However, civic activists are not convinced. They question the logic of having three mass transport system on one corridor and want fares to be reasonable. “There is something unusual happening in Pune. Three mass transport systems in one corridor would be running parallel and vying for ridership which is just not done…While other areas would be transport deficient, one corridor would be running over with three transport systems. Does it make sense to feed one and starve several?” said Prashant Inamdar, convener of Pedestrians First.

Citing protests against the fare structure in Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai, Inamdar said, “The fare structure has become a big issue with Metro services in all the three cities. It has even affected the ridership of Metro rail in Delhi and Hyderabad. In Mumbai, commuters have gone to court as well,” he said.

Inamdar said that Metro was a costly service. He said, “It is observed that initially, they run the service on low fares and then, within a year, they resort to fare hike. In a city like Pune, where fare hikes draw huge protest, Metro might meet the same fate.”
Activists also criticised the so-called integration of three transport systems. “How can there be integration of the three systems when they would be running parallel? They can integrate station, but cannot integrate the entire length of the services,” Inamdar said, adding that all the three will be involved in a competition of sorts to win ridership.