The newly operational Bhopal Metro encountered its first significant passenger grievance on Thursday. The incident involved more than 80 individuals from a community who were unable to purchase tickets at the AIIMS Metro station, leading to chaos and a formal entry in the complaint register.
Chaos at the Ticket Counter
The group, comprising men, women, and children, arrived at the AIIMS station intending to board a train scheduled for 2:00 PM. They demanded to purchase 80 tickets at once from the counter staff. According to the passengers, they had reached the station around 1:30 PM, providing what they believed was sufficient time. However, the staff refused the bulk request, stating it was impractical to manually issue such a large number of tickets in the short time available before the train's departure.
Conflicting Accounts of Timing
The Madhya Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MPMRCL) later presented a different version of events. The corporation stated that CCTV footage revealed the group arrived only 10 minutes before the 2:00 PM departure. Officials argued that issuing 80 individual tickets in that brief window was logistically impossible, leading to the refusal. This delay also prevented other passengers from accessing the counter, creating a scene of confusion.
Viral Complaint and Official Clarification
Frustrated by the experience, a member of the group recorded the grievance in the station's complaint book. The entry sarcastically questioned whether passengers needed to "arrive six hours in advance" to obtain group tickets. A photograph of this complaint quickly went viral on social media platforms, drawing public attention to the issue.
In response, the MPMRCL management issued a clarification. They reiterated that the current metro system has no provision for special group tickets. They also emphasized that children above the height of three feet are required to purchase individual tickets. For large groups of 20–30 people or more, the corporation advised arriving at the station at least 30 minutes before the intended journey to facilitate smooth processing.
This incident marks the first major passenger complaint for the recently inaugurated Bhopal Metro, highlighting early operational challenges in managing crowd and ticketing procedures for large parties.
