MillenniumPost
Delhi

Rapid Metro incurring losses, says Gurugram MP Rao Inderjit Singh

Gurugram: Gurugram MP Rao Inderjit Singh on Wednesday admitted that the Gurugram Rapid Metro is incurring losses and steps will have to be taken by the Haryana government to cover more areas.
In an earlier comprehensive story published in Millennium Post, the various shortcomings were brought to light, which are causing passengers to give Rapid Metro a miss.
High costs of travel, less focus on last mile connectivity and low frequency of trains has pushed Gurugram residents to rely on other modes of transportation.
Diesel autos-rickshaws and private city buses, which are considered a bane by many residents, continue to be the most used mode of transportation as they cover busy areas, such as Golf Course, Sikanderpur, MG Road and Cyber City.
While these modes of transport charge a reasonable sum from commuters, ticket prices of Rapid Metro range from a minimum of Rs 20 to a maximum of Rs 35. In addition to common citizens, even officegoers have reduced daily use of Rapid Metro.
Other than ticketing income, advertising inside the trains and, occasionally, providing space for hosting functions in its coaches are the other sources of income for Rapid Metro.
Being a private enterprise, there is focus in recovering the costs to reach the breakeven levels soon.
"As it covers only 11 kilometres, Rapid Metro does not earn heavy profit by being a mass transportation medium and has therefore focussed on being a niche product by focussing more on officegoers. However, even for this strategy, they need to work on their business model," said Amardeep Singh, a Gurugram resident.
"There is a need to rework its ticketing prices. The management must also work to improve the frequency of trains, so that the office-going public, which it mainly attracts, does not lose patience during the rush hour," he said.
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