Upon its launch, Lucknow Metro saw a respectable daily footfall of almost 70,000 commuters and it became a popular form of public transport. However, the Lucknow metro has not been completely devoid of problems and now, it has come to light that owing to the lack of last mile connectivity from stations, commuters are opting for cabs to beat the heat.
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What’s the update?
This sudden plummet in the daily footfall of the Lucknow Metro can be due to two major issues. The first one being the absence of last mile connectivity, earlier, the LMRC had assured commuters that the all metro stations will get some sort of a feeder service- it could be a feeder bus or it could be tie ups with auto stands and e-rickshaws but as of yet, they have not delivered.
Another major factor that is responsible for the dwindling figures is the searing heat. Commuters find the trains of the Lucknow metro convenient enough, with the air conditioners and other facilities, but the lack of feeder facilities makes it tough for them to get to the metro stations, and the heat gets to them.
Citizens of Lucknow and users of the Lucknow metro are now demanding feeder services and are waiting for the LMRC to deliver on their promises.
The facts
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As for the numbers, they soared in March, when the metro became completely open for the public. With an average of 70,000 commuters daily, it was no small feat. Soon afterwards, the mercury began to rise and the numbers could be seen falling. In April, Lucknow metro clocked an average daily ridership of just about 50,000 commuters which has fallen further to 40,000 daily users in just 12 days of May.
Since Lucknowites can pay just a bit more and get a cab all the way to their desired location (not to mention also protecting them from the heat) they opted for the more comfortable way out and now, the Lucknow metro is struggling to find relevance.
The greatest dip in footfall was seen to be at Hazratganj metro station- about 50% commuters stopped taking this route. Stations such as Charbagh Railway Station and Lucknow University saw almost no or very little change in the number of daily commuters. Since travellers and students are generally on a tight budget, we can see exactly why this would be the case.
At any rate, if the LMRC wishes to draw more travellers, they will surely have to deliver on their promise of a feeder service. If such a service exists, the appeal would go up many fold and since it is a more economical travel method, Lucknowites would grab it with both hands.
