KOCHI: The Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) may reintroduce student passes in the wake of mounting pressure from various quarters for the transportation system to provide discounted travel for the student community.
The KMRL had withdrawn all its nine student permits -- the Vidya series of 45-, 30 - and one-day authorisations, besides the normal weekend, three-day, seven-day, 15-day, 30-day, and 45-day passes--in April with the start of the summer vacation. However, they are yet to be restored despite the reopening of educational institutions.
“The student passes were temporarily suspended for the months of April and May. We’ve received complaints from various quarters regarding this, and we are currently examining how to restore them,” a senior KMRL official said. “But, there has been no official decision on reinstating them,” the official added.
Ernakulam MP Hibi Eden recently wrote to KMRL managing director Loknath Behera, demanding the immediate reintroduction of discount cards extended to school and college students. The move to withdraw the permits has resulted in considerable hardships for students, many of whom depend on the metro for their daily commute, the MP said.
The travel cards encouraged thousands of young commuters to shift from road-based transport to the metro, thereby reducing travel time and improving safety, while also offering much-needed affordability.
“The abrupt withdrawal of these student-specific travel concessions has increased daily expenses for families and forced many students to depend on buses, leading to delays, especially during peak hours and amidst ongoing traffic congestion caused by metro expansion projects such as the Kakkanad extension,” the letter read.
Meanwhile, several students have taken up the issue with the KMRL grievance cell, arguing that removal of the cards has even affected their academic activities.