Ridership yet to hit pre-pandemic levels: Metro data

NEW DELHI: Despite lifting of all Covid-19 related restrictions in the Capital, the daily average ridership of the Delhi Metro only rose to 66% of the pre-pandemic level.

According to data from the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), the average daily ridership on weekdays between February 28 and April 17 this year is currently around four million, as against the 6.13 million average weekday ridership between January 1 and February 29 in 2020.

During weekends, the average daily ridership between February 28 and April 17 this year was 3.121 million even as the data shows 4.753 million people used to take the Metro on weekdays between January 1 and February 29, 2020.

The Delhi Metro had been operating under reduced capacity since the first Covid-19 lockdown in March 2020, and returned to normalcy only from February 28, 2022, when the Delhi Metro was allowed to function with 100% seating and standing capacity.

To be sure, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Wednesday reimposed the masks mandate in the Capital but has not imposed any other restrictions, including on transport.

After the first Covid-19 lockdown ended, DMRC data showed an average weekday daily ridership of 1.771 million between September 7, 2020, and May 9, 2021, and the average ridership on weekend was 1.296 million. During this period, Delhi Metro was allowed to function with only 50% seating capacity and strict enforcement of social distancing rules.

The average daily ridership increased by around 50% following return to normalcy after the second lockdown -- the weekday ridership was 2.756 million between June 7, 2021 and February 27, 2022 and the weekend ridership during this period was 2.127 million. Delhi Metro operations were limited even in this period, with conditions, including 50% seating capacity and later, 100% seating capacity with no standing passengers, in force during the period.

Anuj Dayal, principal executive director, corporate communications, DMRC, said passenger traffic has shown a steady increase, both on weekdays and weekends, following the lifting of all restrictions around Covid-19. “However, it is still less than the pre-pandemic levels,” said Dayal, adding that people were gradually gaining the confidence to move out during weekends for leisure.

“The same is being reflected in the gradual increase in weekend journeys from around 1.2 million after the first wave to about 3.1 million now. If the pandemic remains within control, the number of journeys during weekends will surely increase further,” he added.

Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said multiple factors are likely to be in play at the moment, including the seasonal impact from the heat and Covid-19 related apprehensions, which has seen a number of people switch over to public transport.

“Following the first wave, a lot of people returned to private vehicles and some have not returned to public transport. On weekdays, work from home may still be a part, but on weekends, it is possible people are not venturing out as much, in order to avoid congested places. Certainly, the heat is also playing a factor in Delhi at present,” she explains.