Kochi Welcomes an Innovative Way to Public Transport Through 'Metro Connect'

Kochi Metro has introduced the 'Metro Connect' electric bus service to strengthen public transport in the city. This new service is designed to work alongside the Kochi Metro rail network, providing a convenient and sustainable transport system. The buses offer facilities similar to the Kochi Metro trains. Currently, four buses operate on the Airport route, two on the Kalamassery route, one on the Infopark route, two on the Collectorate route, three on the High Court route, and one on the Kadavanthra route. The Airport route has buses every 20 minutes during peak hours and every 30 minutes during off-peak hours, with services starting at 6:45 AM and the last trip from the airport to Aluva at 11:00 PM. On the Kalamassery-Medical College route, buses run every 30 minutes between 8:30 AM and 7:30 PM. Fares are affordable, with the Aluva-Airport route costing ₹80, and a minimum fare of ₹20 for a 5 km journey on other routes. To improve first-mile and last-mile connectivity to Kochi Metro and Water Metro stations, Kochi Metro is adding 15 electric buses to its fleet at a cost of ₹15 crore. These buses are designed for comfort and are equipped with 33 seats, USB charging ports, and air-conditioning. Charging stations are available at Muttam, Kaloor, Vyttila, and Aluva. Ticketing is user-friendly, with options for digital payments via UPI, RuPay debit cards, and Kochi 1 cards, along with cash payment options. More routes will be introduced in phases, including services on the High Court-MG Road Circular, Kadavanthra-KP Vallon Road Circular, Kakkanad Water Metro-Infopark, Kinfrapark, and Collectorate routes. The initial services have already started on the Aluva-Airport, Kalamassery-Medical College, and Kalamassery-CUSAT routes.