The Reliance Infrastructure-led Mumbai Metro One Pvt Ltd (MMOPL) running between Versova--Ghatkopar on the first day recorded 12,000 plus passengers. However, the response has been low as expected according to the operators. The MMOPL believes the reason for low footfall is because people assume that the service is not open for all, which is not the case. Unlike Railways, in Mumbai Metro One anyone can travel and it is not just for essential service providers.
According to the MMOPL, a total of 140 trips were operated with hundred per cent punctuality till 5 pm on the first day of operations post lockdown, of the 200+ services to run between 8:30 am and 8:30 pm daily in the initial phase. Ridership of 10,194 was recorded till 7 pm on the first day, with the figure expected to go up to 12,000 plus till 8:30 pm. As Mumbai opens up gradually, the footfalls are expected to go up significantly over the coming few weeks.
Mumbai Metro One restarted its services on Monday (October 19) from 8:30 am onwards after a period of almost seven months, since the lockdown on March 22 was introduced. It was also found that commuters lined up at metro stations before the scheduled start for a free extension of the validity period of their smart card which had expired due to the lockdown.
The MMOPL also shared the experience of its early commuter. Anil More, a resident of Chembur (W) who de-boarded the Metro at WEH station welcomed the resumption and expressed satisfaction with the quality of service in a note, in the compliment book.
Other commuters also expressed the pleasure of taking a metro ride after a long time. A commuter named Sachin Shinde, who works at an office at Andheri said, "I was so happy to travel in the metro. In the last few months, I had to hire a cab or take a bus, the experience had been hectic." Similarly, Ajay Gujarati another metro commuter who travels from Chakala to Sakinaka said, "I had been taking a bus to commute to the office for a month now and that takes 20-25 minutes. Now that the metro has started I am happy, I can reach the office in 5 minutes."
