Mumbai Metro to offer discounted fares from July 8

Promotional prices will continue for now; MMRDA's notice of motion to be heard on July 22

Mumbaikars commuting on the 11.4-kilometre (km) Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar corridor of the Mumbai Metro will not have to pay fares of Rs 10, Rs 20, Rs 30 and Rs 40 fixed by Reliance Infrastructure arm Mumbai Metro One Pvt Ltd  (MMOPL) from Tuesday.

They will pay according to the new discounted fares of Rs 10 (3 km), Rs 15 (8 km) and Rs 20 (20 km). Further, a commuter would have to pay a mere Rs 20 to travel between Versova and Ghatkopar by using a token and Rs 15 if he uses a smart card.

MMOPL, which had launched Metro services from June 8 with a promotional fare of Rs 10 for a month, proposed the discounted fares slab on Monday, during the hearing on a notice of motion filed at the Bombay High Court by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). The matter was heard by a Bench comprising Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice M S Sonak. The matter will come up  for further hearing on July 22.

MMRDA, which holds 26 per cent stake in the Metro One project, had challenged a judgment by R D Dhanuka upholding MMOPL's fares of Rs 10, Rs 20, Rs 30, Rs 40. These fares, depending on the distance, were to be effective from July 8.

An MMRDA spokesman told Business Standard: “Commuters will benefit. They have received partial relief.”

An MMOPL spokesman said in his reaction to the development, “The division Bench of the Bombay High Court heard the matter, no stay was granted to MMRDA. MMOPL was allowed to charge the new promotional fare. The high court directed MMRDA to make state and central governments parties to the matter.”  

Incidentally, MMOPL has not given any timeline till when these discounted fares would be in place.

More than 10 million commuters have so far travelled in the Mumbai Metro since it began operations.