Gurgaon Rapid Metro picks up ridership, autos hike fares

With water taking up residence on Gurgaon roads, people rushed towards the only commuting option that seemed unaffected by it -- the rapid metro. The public transport witnessed almost 25% increase in ridership over the last two days. Autorickshaw drivers made a killing with many charging almost triple the normal fare even for short distances.

With water taking up residence on Gurgaon roads, people rushed towards the only commuting option that seemed unaffected by it -- the rapid metro. The public transport witnessed almost 25% increase in ridership over the last two days. Autorickshaw drivers made a killing with many charging almost triple the normal fare even for short distances.

Autorickshaw drivers made a killing with many charging almost triple the normal fare even for short distances. (Abhinav Saha/HT Photo)

On Friday, the ridership of rapid metro steeped to 46,000-47,000. On Wednesday, prior to the rain, the ridership was approximately 35,000.

The 5.1 km rapid metro stretch covers six stations -- DLF Phase 3, Moulsari Avenue, Cyber City, Belverdere Towers, DLF Phase 2 and Sikanderpur (intersecting station for Delhi Metro Yellow Line).

Anirudh Sarnalia , who lives in Arjun Nagar, Delhi, and works in CyberHub, said, “On Thursday evening, I took the office cab to reach home. It took me three hours. I did not want to endure a similar experience again and the metro service was a major relief to reach and return from office on Friday,” he said.

Throughout the day, even the less crowded stations such as DLF Phase 3 and Moulsari Avenue were packed, Rapid Metro officials said.

“Usually, the Moulsari Avenue platform is deserted . But on Friday, there was barely any space to stand,” Aditya Sharma, a resident of Moulsari Avenue, said.

To accommodate the load, officials increased the number of trips and coaches.

“There was a sudden influx of commuters following the jams. The parking sites in all our stations were filled through the day. Arrangements were made to cater to the extra load,” a spokesperson of Rapid Metro said.

Autorickshaw drivers in Gurgaon adopted a “surge pricing” of their own, taking advantage of the downpour and waterlogging.

The normal rate of Rs 50 from Huda City Centre metro station to South City 1 was increased to Rs 100-120 on Thursday.

“I took an autorickshaw from my office in Sector 29 to my residence in Sector 40. Generally, it costs me Rs 60, but I had to pay Rs120 after bargaining,” said Yohima Batra, a commuter.

“It is ridiculous, the amount of money the drivers are demanding. I have never paid Rs100 to travel for two kilometers,” said Geetika Pant, a resident.

The rickshaw drivers said they were taking a risk driving through roads with potholes and open manholes.

“The prices have been hiked seeing the condition of the city. We are providing people a safe travel option even in this weather. The maintenance of our rickshaws is also being compromised,” said Swades Kumar, a 24-year-old autorickshaw driver.