Delhi Metro fares hiked, ticket prices to go up again in October
The DMRC has been requesting for a fare increase since 2009. It faced obstacles as the Centre had failed to set up a fare panel, which finally saw the light of day in 2016.
Metro rides in Delhi will be costlier from Wednesday. And a fresh round of hikes is coming in October.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) announced the revised fares on Monday – a minimum of Rs 10 from the earlier Rs 8 and a maximum of Rs 50, a twenty-rupee hike.
However, what will hurt daily commuters most is the 60% hike in the 15-km slab – most people travel this distance for work daily – from Rs 18 to Rs 30.
The Aam Aadmi government led by Arvind Kejriwal was quick to oppose the hike, saying it will “adversely affect regular passengers”.
The fare structure will change again from October 1 when the minimum fare for travelling a distance of more than 2 km will go up by another Rs 10, said Anuj Dayal, the DMRC spokesperson.
“There will be a total of six fare slabs as against the existing 15 (for the first hike),” Dayal added (see chart).
An estimated 2.8 million passengers travel daily on the capital’s metro – one of India’s most modern and punctual public transport systems – that crisscrosses the city through a network of underground and overground tracks. Another 140 km will be added to the existing network of 213 km by the end of this year, according to DMRC officials.
Dayal said fares on Sundays and national holidays – January 26, August 15 and October 2 – will be lower and calculated on separate slabs.
There will also be no change in the present fare structure of Airport Express Line, which is already higher than normal fares.
In non-peak hours on weekdays, passengers with smart cards will get an additional discount of 10%, which means a total of 20% rebate on the total fare. The peak hours are between 8 am-12 pm and 5-9 pm.
The DMRC has been seeking a fare increase since 2009 but the Centre set up a fare panel only in May 2016. The three-member panel is headed by Union urban development secretary Rajib Gauba.
The DMRC has been citing rising operating cost, including a more than 90% rise in electricity tariff, in seeking the fare hike. Power tariff accounts for almost 30% of the DMRC’s total operating cost.
The urban development ministry informed Parliament in 2015 that the DMRC has suffered a net loss of Rs 708.5 crore in 2015-16.
DMRC sources said that their operating ratio in 2016-17 was approximately 76%, that is has to spend 76 paise to earn a rupee.
“We are expecting the operating cost to come down to 65% after the fare revision,” said a DMRC official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The AAP government termed the fare hike “a wrong decision”.
“The government had told DMRC that increase in fares will force commuters to shift to personal vehicles...In fact, fares should be reduced,” a government spokesperson said.
