3 lakh people use Chennai Metro’s last-mile share autos and cabs in 9 months

Close to 90,000 commuters utilised the last-mile connectivity option in March and April.

news Chennai Metro

The Chennai Metro launched share auto and share cab facilities in some of its stations in August last year to improve last-mile connectivity. Nine months later, over 3 lakh commuters have utilised these services, according to the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL).

Close to 90 thousand commuters utilised its last-mile connectivity option in March and April.

Share autos were priced at Rs 5 and share cabs were priced at Rs 10 for three kilometres from select metro stations. While CMRL stationed share taxis at Egmore, AG DMS, Anna Nagar East, Koyambedu, Alandur and Vadapalani stations, share autos functioned from Guindy, Thirumangalam, Alandur, Chinamalai, Ekkatuthangal, Koyambedu and Parangimalai stations.

35,715 commuters took the share auto in March, while 6,574 used the share cab. For April, the numbers stood at 38,680 and 6,260 respectively.

Prior to the introduction of last-mile connectivity options, metro commuters had a tough time travelling from the station to elsewhere in the city. People who utilised metro services pointed out that improving connectivity outside the stations would help many plan their travel around the metro.

In an effort to encourage cycling and increase connectivity, CMRL launched a bicycle-sharing initiative across metros last year. While a sensible 24-hour return policy is in place for the cycles, the deposit of Rs 3000 was not commuter-friendly.

Phase I of the Chennai Metro covers 45 km and consists of two corridors -- one from Washermanpet to Chennai Airport and another from Central to St Thomas Mount. CMRL is ready to set the ball rolling for its Phase 2 which will connect Madhavaram in north Chennai to Sholinganallur in south Chennai.