Bhopal Metro Faces First Complaint as 80-Person Group Is Denied Tickets at AIIMS Station

The newly launched Bhopal Metro faced its first passenger complaint on Thursday after a large group was denied tickets at the AIIMS Metro station. More than 80 people from a community, including men, women, and children, claimed they were not allowed to buy tickets even though they reached the station

at around 1:30 pm for a train scheduled to leave at 2:00 pm.

Rejection of Claim

However, the Madhya Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MPMRCL) rejected this claim. According to the metro authorities, CCTV footage showed that the group actually arrived at the station only about 10 minutes before the train's departure. Officials stated it was not possible to issue 80 tickets in such a short time, especially as tickets are issued manually.

Metro Official's Statement

As per MPMRCL, the group reached the ticket counter shortly before 2:00 pm and demanded 80 tickets at once. The staff at the counter refused, explaining that issuing such a large number of tickets quickly was not practical. This led to confusion and crowding at the counter, and other passengers were also affected and could not buy tickets on time.

Following the incident, one of the group members wrote a complaint in the station's grievance register. In the complaint, the person sarcastically questioned whether passengers needed to "arrive six hours in advance" to get group tickets. A photo of this complaint was shared widely on social media, drawing public attention and prompting the metro authorities to respond.

In its clarification, MPMRCL stated that there is currently no facility for group tickets in the Bhopal Metro system. Each passenger must buy an individual ticket, and children taller than three feet are also required to have their own ticket. The corporation advised that large groups of 20 to 30 people or more should reach the station at least 30 minutes before departure to avoid such issues.