The Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) has discontinued a host of discount cards, including some that were available to students.
Over the past seven years since the metro was launched, it has carried a substantial number of school and college students daily to their respective educational institutions. Faced with inadequate patronage in the early years after its launch in June 2017, the metro agency announced a slew of discount cards following which thousands of students and others shifted to the metro for their daily commute.
Taken aback by the metro agency’s decision which was implemented from February this year, numerous students have taken up the issue with the metro’s grievance cell and officials, it is learnt.
The sudden stoppage of one of the popular student discount cards in the reliable and efficient mode of transport has inconvenienced students, as they are left with no choice but to depend on buses to reach their college. “This has increased my travel cost and is also causing delays, sometimes making us late for class. In this situation, the metro agency should either reintroduce the discount cards for students or provide a similar student-friendly pass,” a student said in her complaint to KMRL.
The discount cards were of tremendous help to students, including those who were attending examinations and special classes, said Mohammed Raffik, a resident whose daughter is a student of the SCMS Cochin School of Business, located near the metro’s Muttom station.
“She now has two options –either pay ₹80 for a return trip by metro to M.G. Road or rely on buses. Students used to commute by metro even from the Thripunithura terminal at the eastern end of the corridor. Now, they take over 90 minutes by bus — more than thrice the time it used to take by the metro,” he added.
He also pointed out that the withdrawal of the discount cards had come at a time when the city was experiencing severe traffic snarls, partly due to the ongoing work for the metro’s Kakkanad extension.
Echoing a similar view, Kala M.S., the Dean (Self-Financing Stream) of St. Teresa’s College, said that it was disheartening to learn that KMRL had taken such a decision. “This will affect the student community. The metro agency should explore alternative means to generate more revenue,” she added.
While admitting that the discount cards, barring three, have been withdrawn, metro sources said that there had been no increase in the regular fare since the metro was commissioned in 2017. The decision to withdraw the cards should be seen in the context of efforts to garner more revenue for the capital-intensive project, they added.
Published – April 30, 2025 12:21 am IST
