The Chennai Metro Rail Limited reported total ridership of 10.40 million (mn) passengers in August, indicating sustained use of the city's metro services. The operator supplied the precise count as 10,404,098 passengers for the month and noted that patronage levels remained robust across the network. The figure represents continued recovery and demand for public transit in the city. CMRL attributed the numbers to a mix of routine commuting and event-related travel during the period.

The highest single?day footfall was recorded on August 14 with 401,607 passengers using the Metro network. The National Common Mobility Card, branded Singara Chennai Card, emerged as the most used ticketing option with 5.28 mn journeys during the month. Single?journey paper QR tickets accounted for 2.02 mn passenger movements while ONDC?based ticketing logged 1.25 mn journeys.

Other digital platforms also registered notable usage. WhatsApp ticketing accounted for 0.47 mn passengers, the Chennai One App recorded 0.31 mn journeys and Paytm handled 0.31 mn trips. PhonePe services were used for 0.27 mn journeys, static QR tickets at stations covered 0.23 mn passengers and online ticketing registered 0.16 mn journeys. The CMRL Mobile App recorded 0.10 mn passenger trips in the month.

CMRL continues to promote cashless travel and applied a 20 per cent discount on several digital fare instruments, including the NCMC Singara Chennai Card and QR ticketing through WhatsApp, Paytm and PhonePe, as well as the digital store value pass in the mobile app. The discount regime excludes single?journey paper QR tickets purchased at counters. Officials indicated that the measures aim to streamline passenger flow and encourage greater adoption of electronic ticketing. Continued monitoring of ridership patterns will guide future fare and service adjustments.