RTI reveals drop in sale of Metro smart cards

Times of India: New Delhi: Thursday, February 25, 2016.

At a time when Delhi Metro is experiencing a steady rise in the number of commuters using the network, there has been a drop in the sale of its contactless smart cards.

The figures given by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation in response to an RTI query by Aseem Takyar show that the number of smart cards sold has dropped from 74 lakh in 2013-2014 to 45 lakh in 2015-2016 (till January this year).

In 2009-2010, the number of smart cards sold was 15.5 lakh, which rose to 34.6 lakh next year. There was a steady increase and next year 45.1 lakh cards were sold, which further went up to 74.03 lakh in 2013-2014 (the highest number of smart cards sold by DMRC since they were introduced).

In 2014-15, however, the number dropped to 55.3 lakh and further went down to 45.07 lakh in 2015-16.

Officials said the reason for the drop in sale of the Metro cards is due to the fact that fewer people are buying them, only to return it soon after. "Earlier, commuters bought multiple cards or bought them for shorter durations. The cards were sold in large numbers and also returned in large numbers," said an official. This is corroborated by the numbers given in the RTI as well. While the number of smart cards returned was 41.1 lakh in 2013-2014, the figure dropped to 30.9 lakh in 2014-2015. It went down further to 20.2 lakh in 2015-2016.

According to officials, the fact that more people have switched to smart cards means fewer people are using it as a temporary ticket. Since they are now used regularly, most commuters recharge the cards rather than buying new ones, explained the official.

Interestingly, according to officials, about 70% of the Metro commuters use smart cards. Approximately, 16,000 smart cards are sold every day from various Metro stations, according to a statement issued by Delhi Metro last year.

There has, however, been a consistent rise in the ridership. From a modest five lakh commuters in June 2006, the numbers have been continuously going up. It touched 10 lakh in 2009, 15 lakh the next year, then 20 lakh in 2011, 25 lakh in 2013 and crossed 32 lakh in August 2015. In fact, Delhi Metro now charges a transaction fee for returning the smart card. This is a nominal Rs 20 per card.