Bengaluru: Namma Metro ticket counters between Baiyyappanahali and Mysore Road have displayed new bill boards specifying that children over three feet in height must pay the full fare like any adult passenger. In effect they must now pay the Rs 40 ticket fare between Baiyyappanahali and Mysore Road like everyone else.
The rule has been introduced as although children below six are allowed to travel for free on the Metro, several parents lied about the age of their children to get them on board the Metro without tickets, say BMRCL officers.
"Every day thousands of passengers travel on the Metro with their children and some refuse to buy tickets for them claiming they are not yet six- years- old. Most of the time they lie about the age of their child. So we decided to opt for the height formula. All the metros of the country are doing the same,” explained one Metro officer, adding that it was the only option as there was no way to verify the age of the children travelling by the Metro Rail. “Although in the past we simply took the parents at their word, as false claims continued we decided to streamline things a little," he added.
What passengers demand?
While the 3 ft tall rule for children has been introduced on the Mumbai Metro as well, on weekends children below 12 are allowed to travel on it to any destination for a flat promotional fare of Rs 10. "We want BMRCL to extend a similar facility here on weekends as there isn’t much of a rush at this time," said Ms Sona Kamble, an employee with a private bank.
Nutrition expert, Prabha Bhat, says that going by the average height and weight of Indian boys and girls, all children grow over three feet tall when they become four years old.
