Pune Metro rides rise 25% in January

Pune Metro has seen a 25 per cent increase in daily average rides in the first two months of 2026 as compared to the first two months of 2025, according to the metro’s daily rides data.

In January and February 2025, the metro had daily average rides of 1.6 lakhs and 1.53 lakhs respectively.

In January and February 2026, the daily average rides have increased to 2.0 lakh and 1.97 lakh respectively.

Peak ride numbers for the metro were achieved in the months of August and September 2025.

August recorded 2.2 lakh average daily rides while September recorded 2.5 lakh average daily rides.

A combination of monsoon and festive season helped boost these numbers during that period.

In the following months, the ride numbers plateaued at around 1.9-2.0 lakh average daily riders.

In October the figure stood at 1.91 lakh, in November and 2.04 lakh, and in December at 1.96 lakh.

It is important to note that the current ridership of thePuneMetro is much lower than the figures projected in the Detailed Project Report (DPR) created for the construction of the metro.

Optimistic projection in the DPR estimated an average daily ridership of 10 lakh per day while the realistic projection estimated an average daily ridership of 6 lakh per day in 2021.

Delays in construction meant that the complete route of the Metro was only made operational in late 2024.

However, even 1.5 years after the full route became operational, the Pune Metro has not been able to come close to the projections of the DPR and functions at 30 per cent of those figures.

Shravan Hardikar, Managing Director at Maha Metro, says that the increase in frequency of the metro trains is a factor that has led to higher convenience for people.

“We have decreased the headway from 10 minutes to 9 minutes during non-peak hours and from 7 minutes to 6 minutes during peak hours.

One minute might seem like a small number but it affects the day to day commuter.

It also helps in reducing congestion.

If we can bring it down to 5 minutes, it will be even better.”
“We are focusing on improving our service availability.

We are also focusing on improving last mile connectivity options.

We are soon launching a feeder bus with PMPML and shared auto services.

We have been in conversation with auto-unions and we expect a breakthrough soon.

When line 3 starts operations, we are expecting a huge rise in passengers, ” added Hardikar.

Soham Shah is a Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Pune.

A journalism graduate with a background in fact-checking, he brings a meticulous and research-oriented approach to his current reporting.

Professional Background
Role: Correspondent coverig education and city affairs in Pune.

Specialization: His primary beat is education, but he also maintains a strong focus on civic issues, public health, human rights, and state politics.

Key Strength: Soham focuses on data-driven reporting on school and college education, government reports, and public infrastructure.

Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)
His late 2025 work highlights a transition from education-centric reporting to hard-hitting investigative and human-rights stories:
1.

Investigations & Governance
"Express Impact: Mother's name now a must to download birth certificate from PMC site" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on a significant policy change by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) following his earlier reports on gender inclusivity in administrative documents.

"44-Acre Mahar Land Controversy: In June, Pune official sought land eviction at Pawar son firm behest" (Nov 9, 2025): An investigative piece on real estate irregularities involving high-profile political families.

2.

Education & Campus Life
Faculty crisis at SPPU hits research, admin work: 62% of govt-sanctioned posts vacant, over 75% in many depts (Sept 12, 2025): An investigative piece on professor vacancies at Savitribai Phule Pune University.

"Maharashtra’s controversial third language policy: Why National Curriculum Framework recommends a third language from Class 6" (July 2): This detailed piece unpacks reasons behind why the state's move to introduce a third language from class 1 was controversial.

"Decline in number of schools, teachers in Maharashtra but student enrolment up: Report" (Jan 2025): Analyzing discrepancies in the state's education data despite rising student numbers.

3.

Human Rights & Social Issues
"Aanchal Mamidawar was brave after her family killed her boyfriend" (Dec 17, 2025): A deeply personal and hard-hitting opinion piece/column on the "crime of love" and honor killings in modern India.

"'People disrespect the disabled': Meet the man who has become face of racist attacks on Indians" (Nov 29, 2025): A profile of a Pune resident with severe physical deformities who became the target of global online harassment, highlighting issues of disability and cyber-bullying.

Signature Style
Soham is known for his civil-liberties lens.

His reporting frequently champions the rights of the marginalized—whether it's students fighting for campus democracy, victims of regressive social practices, or residents struggling with crumbling urban infrastructure (as seen in his "Breathless Pune" contributions).

He is adept at linking hyper-local Pune issues to larger national conversations about law and liberty.

X (Twitter): @SohamShah07...

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