Delhi Metro and DTC get relief after new covid guidelines

  • | Thursday | 29th July, 2021

On July 26, with the new guidelines of Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) in place, DTC recorded a total ridership of 15.2 lakh.

The country has seen a decline in cases of covid 19 after the second wave and relaxations are been given to the citizens following the decline in cases, with 100% seating now allowed in Delhi Metro and buses, the number of passenger journeys in trains increased from 16 lakh on Sunday to around 22 lakh on Monday.

While Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) didn’t share the exact ridership figures, the increase in passenger journeys was 37.5%. Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC), too, saw an increase of 38% in ridership.

Data shared by DTC showed that its 3,760 buses had ferried more than 11 lakh passengers on July 19, the previous Monday. The figure went up to 13.4 lakh on July 23.

On July 26, with the new guidelines of Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) in place, DTC recorded a total ridership of 15.2 lakh.

The increase in revenue primarily earned through farebox collection was much higher (57%), with DTC earning more than Rs 1 crore on July 19. Its earning per kilometre was Rs 20.88 and earning per bus Rs 3,450. The revenue went up to Rs 1.37 crore on July 23 and earning per kilometre went up slightly to Rs 20.99 and earning per bus reached Rs 4,000.

On July 26, DTC had a total revenue of Rs 1.58 crore, earning per kilometre was Rs 24.04 and earning per bus Rs 4,611.

In a statement, DTC said there had been an improvement on all parameters, like ridership, earning per kilometre, earning per bus, etc with buses plying with full seating capacity.

Usually, buses carry 41 passengers with full seating capacity. In pre-Covid times, the “crush capacity” of buses was between 70 and 80 passengers. On the other hand, while up to 300 passengers can be easily accommodated in a Delhi Metro coach, at present only 50 passengers are being ferried. No standing passengers are allowed.

Metro users had to not only brave serpentine queues and waiting time of around 40 minutes outside busy stations, but even waterlogging at many places.

Saket station had to be closed for more than two hours on Tuesday morning as it had become impossible to access through almost waist-high rainwater.

While many passengers had taken to social media to show the lack of social distancing in some coaches and violation of other safety norms, DMRC had said that since Monday was the first day of the revised guidelines, many people were still not fully aware that only 20% passenger capacity was being offered in a train and not 100%, which was the general impression that had been created.

DMRC’s nine flying squads kept a hawk-eye on passengers and till 8pm on Tuesday 263 violators had been fined Rs 200 each and 292 passengers were de-boarded from trains for not following Covid-appropriate behaviour. Till 8 pm on Monday, around 16.9 lakh passenger journeys had been recorded.

“Regulated entry, intermittent station closure, if required to maintain Covid-appropriate behaviour, regular announcements inside stations and trains informing the public about social distancing and wearing masks, only seating allowed, and random checks by flying squads to counsel or penalise erring passengers is being done,” said a DMRC spokesperson.


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