Smart idea pushes up Metro cards’ sale
BENGALURU: A Metro commuter’s suggestion and Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL)’s quick implementation of it has fetched it rich dividends: An unprecedented upsurge in the sale of Metro travel cards since July 4 and the operational revenue consistently crossing `1 crore for nine consecutive working days.From an average of 1,800 smart cards sold per day, Namma Metro is now selling between 3,000 and 3,500 travel cards per day, thanks to some smart marketing.
Raghav S, a developer at Myntra, and a frequent Metro user, was keen on making more people use the Metro and contacted top Metro officials a few months ago. “I wanted to reach out to commuters who use the trains daily, including the rural population, and mainly bring about a sense of connect with Metro,” he told The New Indian Express. In line with his ideas, BMRCL scrolled these messages on the display boards of all 40 Metro stations in Kannada and English nearly a month ago, says A S Shankar, Executive Director, Operations and Maintenance of BMRCL.
A few popular ones are: ‘Namma Metro: because everyone deserves luxury’; ‘Namma Metro: Garden City’s travel partner’; and ‘Namma Raitha: Namma Hemmeya Putra’. (Our farmer: Our proud son)
From July 4, a decision was taken to use the space available to convey useful information to the public. “Messages about the need to use Metro travel cards for commuting to save time spent queuing up for tokens and also about the 15% savings offered, were repeatedly flashed,” Shankar said.
“From a daily average revenue ranging between `95 lakh and `98 lakh, we are easily crossing `1 crore now. The six-coach impact is minimal as we crossed `1.2 crore even on the day it was disrupted due to a technical glitch.”At the Baiyappanahalli Metro station, Metro cards are even being sold outside the station to promote them among the passengers.