As part of efforts to promote digital ticketing and enhance e-payments, Kochi Metro Rail Limited is introducing a ticketing facility on the WhatsApp platform. Passengers can book digital tickets through WhatsApp from Wednesday by sending a message to the KMRL’s WhatsApp number, officials said here. Commuters will get 10 per cent discount on tickets purchased through WhatsApp during normal hours and 50 per cent discount during non-peak hours (5.45 am to 7 am and 10 pm to 11 pm), a KMRL statement has said.

This initiative is expected to promote digital ticketing, enhance paperless ticketing and avoid queuing at ticket counters, it said.

KMRL and its ticketing partner Axis Bank are experimenting the use of Kochi-1 card for commuting in buses, feeder buses, feeder autorickshaws in addition to Kochi Metro and Water Metro, the statement further said.

In 2024, all efforts are being made to reach an average ridership of one lakh per day on Kochi Metro, it said, adding that interoperable tickets for Metro and Water Metro would be introduced.

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Other commuter beneficial schemes also would be introduced to increase ridership, the officials added.

Quoting figures, it said the KMRL has progressed in all segments including fare box and non-fare box revenue, ridership and so on last year.

Over 10 crore people travelled in the Kochi Metro since it started operations and 3.11 crore people travelled in 2023 alone.

Kochi Metro operated 86,845 trips in 2023 and fetched Rs 96.08 crore as fare box income, it said, adding the average monthly ridership in 2023 was 25,97,423 and the per day ridership went above one lakh on 40 days last year.