It seems that Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL), a widely killed for sudden suspension of “Vidya”, discounted metro cards specific to students, although there is no clear plan.
Kmrl introduced three categories of Vidya-for one-day, 30-day and 45-day rides-with a seeming goal to attract school and university students as ordinary metro riders in 2023. PASS were also immediate hits between the student community, many of which could not afford to travel regularly by subway.
However, Kmrl suspended the cards along with several other categories with a small announcement of April 1 this year. The student community learned about this step only when they approached KMRL for passes when the new academic year began, which led to extensive resistance.
“Student cards were temporarily suspended for April and May, because educational institutions remain closed on summer holidays during these months. We have received several complaints from different neighborhoods and examine how to restore them,” KMRL said.
Mr. Eden said that the withdrawal of the discounted cards caused considerable difficulties in Kochi, many of which rely on the metro for everyday commuting to educational institutions. Sudden removal of travel concessions specific to students increased daily expenditures for families and many students forced buses relying on buses, which led to a delay, especially during the top hours and in the middle of continuous transport due to the projects of metro expansion such as Kakkanad. Several students have already caused a problem with KMRL GREAVERANCE CELL and said that the removal of cards even affected their ability to visit classes and exams in time, Eden added.
Published – June 12, 2025 21:04
