Metro witnesses decline in sale of smartcards

New Delhi: Fare hikes in Delhi Metro has not only hit the ridership, but has also affected the sale of smartcards over the past one year.

According to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), there has been a drop in the sale of smart cards in the past one year, a period that saw successive fare hikes.

According to data made available in response to an RTI query, in the months of July, August, September and October last year, Metro sold an average of 15,650 smart cards per day. This year, during the same period, the figure dropped down to  12,250.

Though one can assume that a gradual dip in smart card sales would be natural as more and more people switch to them, statistics show that the percentage share of smart card users increased marginally over the last year — from 69.94 per cent in Oct. 2016 to 70.84 per cent in Oct. 2017.

But the DMRC, however, said irrespective of variations in sales, smart card users have increased. It also identified new rules, which made smart cards non-refundable from April as one of the factors behind the drop.

The daily average of smart card sales in July, Aug., Sept. and Oct. 2016 were 16,000, 16,500, 15,200, and 14,900, respectively. The figures, however, recorded during the corresponding months this year are 12,900, 12,400, 11,700, and 12,000. “It is seen from the above figures that smart card sales fluctuate in the range of 3,000 to 4,000 and this fluctuation is normal for any given month. These numbers don’t hold any significance to the number of smartcard users, which is over 70 per cent (18-20 lakh) of the total ridership at present,” DMRC said.