Now Reading: CAG blames missing BMTC link for Bengaluru Metro’s poor ridership
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CAG blames missing BMTC link for Bengaluru Metro’s poor ridership
A Comptroller and Auditor General report tabled in Parliament on Monday says Bengaluru Metro failed to meet projected ridership because it was not integrated with the city’s bus operator BMTC. The highest…
The Story in Brief
A Comptroller and Auditor General report tabled in Parliament on Monday says Bengaluru Metro failed to meet projected ridership because it was not integrated with the city’s bus operator BMTC. The highest average daily ridership was 5.89 lakh in August 2022, far below the 19.49 lakh envisaged. Phase 1 recorded a negative financial return as project costs rose over 20 per cent but revenues realised only 56 per cent of projections.
The audit also flagged inadequate last-mile connectivity, missing parking at 18 of 51 stations, and unsafe access on national highways. The Karnataka government, the CAG noted, did not set up an integrated traffic plan despite a central directive in 2006. Combined bus and Metro ridership remained below BMTC’s earlier bus-only numbers, indicating the system failed to pull private vehicle users.
The Indian Opinion
The usual narrative blames commuters for not switching to Metro. The CAG report points elsewhere: the state never built a feeder network. BMTC itself has bled passengers for years. The test now is whether BMRCL and BMTC finally share a common ticketing system or timetable, and at what date the combined ridership crosses BMTC’s 2015 peak of 51.30 lakh a day.
Source: deccanherald.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
