There is bad news for commuters traveling on the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar (VAG) metro line-I as they will have to shell out extra from December 1
There is bad news for commuters traveling on the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar (VAG) metro line-I as they will have to shell out extra from December 1.
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However, Mumbai Metro One Private Limited (MMOPL) on Friday announced that there will not be any increase in the minimum fare.
In a press release, MMOPL claimed that even though the fare hike had been initiated, the fares were significantly below the recommendations of the Fare Fixation Committee (FFC).
"The new fare structure will be effective from December 1, 2015. A hike of about Re 1 per trip has been made in the fare charged on the 45-trip monthly pass which is currently available in two slabs of Rs. 675 and Rs. 900 for short and long trips respectively. After the hike, these monthly passes will now be available for Rs. 725 and Rs. 950, calculating to an increase of just over Re. 1 per trip. The number of fare slabs has also been increased from the previous four to five now, in order to align the fare structure with the recommendations of the FFC," the press release added.
The increase in the fare per trip for the commuters holding Store Value Passes is just Rs. 2. Instead of the four earlier fare slabs of Rs. 10, 18, 27 and 32, the revamped structure has five slabs of Rs. 10, 20, 22, 29 and 34 in this category. The fare in the single journey token category has been increased by a moderate Rs. 5 per trip.
For commuters without passes, instead of the earlier slabs of Rs. 10, 20, 30 and 40, the new structure will have five slabs of Rs. 10, 20, 25, 35 and 45. The fare slabs per trip for the return journey token category have been similarly revamped from Rs. 10, 15, 25 and 30 to Rs. 10, 20, 22.50, 30 and 35.
"The FFC had recommended a fare structure of Rs. 10 to Rs. 110 in July 2015 after detailed scrutiny of all aspects. The FFC had also advised MMOPL to approach the State Government for suitable assistance to lower the fare while achieving business viability. While MMOPL continues to suffer losses of about Rs. 300 crore per year, the company chose to defer any fare revision till November 30, 2015 and engage with the State Government with an intent to finding a viable solution and to avoid giving any shock to its commuters. While MMOPL continues to pursue the matter, the fare revision is very moderate and much below the recommendations of the FFC. While the maximum fare of Rs. 110 was recommended by the FFC, the maximum fare for Mumbai Metro after the revision is only Rs. 45. The minimum fare remains the same as before at Rs 10," the press release further stated.
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