The funny side of Delhi Metro travel, now in a train near you

The DMRC has over 15 ongoing Twitter campaigns targeting different aspects of the Metro commute to provide information regarding schedules and travel etiquette, while also keeping people engaged using comic strips and daily playlists.

Four months ago, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) announced its entry into social media. Since then, it has kept its followers hooked with engaging campaigns — from educational messages using witty one liners to coming up with relatable comic strips classifying the kind of people you meet on your Metro journeys.

Four months ago, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) announced its entry into social media. (Screengrab/DMRC Twitter)

The DMRC has over 15 ongoing Twitter campaigns targeting different aspects of the Metro commute to provide information regarding schedules and travel etiquette, while also keeping people engaged using comic strips and daily playlists.

On Facebook and Instagram too, the Metro is steadily gaining followers. As of Saturday evening, Delhi Metro’s official handles had over 7,600 followers on Twitter and over 3,500 followers on Facebook. The numbers, offficials said, are expected to increase after the DMRC handle is officially verified by Twitter.

“Delhi Metro now has its official presence on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Apart from service related updates to the commuters, we are also trying to engage with them through various campaigns that inform about the dos and don’ts of travelling in the Metro,” said Anuj Dayal, executive director (corporate communications), DMRC.

The most popular among the campaigns, the ‘Let’s Metro’ series, is released in parts to provide information on food, shopping spots and iconic landmarks around a Metro station daily.

The ‘Metro Playlist’ series — that comes up with a list every week having various genres of songs to fit in to everyone’s taste — was started around a month ago. Among the more recent launches of DMRC page are ‘Metro Vaani’ and ‘Play Cards’.

“Nobody wants to listen to the drab announcement in stations about things they must and must not do inside a station and a train. So we thought of getting people’s attention through ‘Metro Vaani’,” a senior Metro official said. The campaign sends out messages through poems, shayaris and lullabies. “Vaada karte hain aapse hamesha dosti nibhayenge...koshish yehi rahegi apko nahi satayenge...zaroorat kabhi pade toh dil se pukaar lena... ‘kripya karke Metro farsh pe na baithna’ (We promise to always keep your friendship...We will try never to irritate you...whenever you need us, call out from the heart... please don’t sit on the floor of Metro trains),” is one of the message.

The Metro has also come up with a comic strip using the ‘stereotypical characters and situations’ found in every journey.

“The campaign ‘Daily Metro’ was started with the idea of driving maximum engagement. Four comic characters—Sharma ji, Sheena aunty, Malhotra uncle, Mona aunty — were introduced through our social media handles. The campaign focuses on the funny incidents that one usually encounters while travelling in Metro trains,” the official said.

Shivani Sengupta, social media engagement trainer, said such interactive and innovative campaigns are a good way to break the monotony. “There is no pressure on the DMRC to come up with such campaigns. But it is nice that they are breaking away from the stereotype. When your usual announcement gets a new twist your consumers will be drawn to you,” said Sengupta.