Karnataka Metro: 30 percent increase in ridership despite free bus travel for women

Metro Rail ridership has climbed by 30% over the past year, according to Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy. Karnataka offers women free rides on non-luxury government buses throughout the state, even under the terms of the 'Shakti' guarantee.

Reddy's response followed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's alleged claim that Metro Rail's earnings would suffer if women were allowed to ride free on government buses.

According to Reddy, the Shakti Guarantee was implemented in the state on June 11, 2023, and since then till May 20, 67.34 crore free trips by women have been recorded in the city.

"Our metro rail ridership has grown by 30 percent in the last year," the minister said in a statement. In January 2023, metro rail ridership was 1.65 crore and revenue was Rs 39.15 crore. In April 2024, the number of passengers increased to Rs 2 crore and the revenue increased to Rs 51.71 crore.

According to him, there is an increase of 35 lakh passengers per month in 2024 compared to 2023. And the revenue has increased by Rs 1.10 crore per month.
"It is clear from these figures that Metro Rail has not been affected in any way by the Shakti Guarantee. In fact, there has been a significant increase in Metro ridership and revenue," Reddy said.

He said it was "not fair" for the Prime Minister to be "prejudiced" and blame the scheme.