BANGALORE: The city-dweller’s enthusiasm has proved fruitful for the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) with the newly inaugurated Metro raking in more than Rs 41 lakh in the last three days.“Today, until about 7 pm, we have had 72,000 commuters travel by the Metro helping us earn around Rs 11.2 lakh,” says Yashwant Chavan, public relations officer, BMRCL. With thousands of people queuing up for that one ride, BMRCL is not complaining — for the phase commissioning of Reach I was primarily opened to generate revenue. Officials inform Express that the number of passengers has averaged between 65,000 and 70,000 people each day. Bangaloreans are more than eager to wait for their turn, undeterred by heavy rains that lashed the city on Sunday. “I have travelled by the Metro and for me it has been convenient. Hopefully, the enthusiasm of the ‘first ride’ will come down in a few days and the long waits will be reduced,” said Ashok, a resident of Indiranagar.The high collection and commuter traffic on Sunday can be attributed to families having their ‘date’ with Namma Metro. “My children and I were very keen on travelling in the Metro since its inauguration. But, I did not expect such a large turn out,” said Jagannath, a government official, who came to visit with his family.Commuters prefer buying tokens for their Metro ride rather than purchase the smart card. This, BMRCL says, is because of the thrill this new facility offers to Bangloreans. “People prefer tokens because they want to experience the Metro ride. They will be excited about Namma Metro for the first few days,” says Chavan. But, the sale of smart cards is catching up too. Though designed for regular commuters, BMRCL has managed to sell around 9,861 smart cards as on Sunday.
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