New Delhi, Sep 5: Delhites spend an average 14 per cent of their household income on travel by Delhi Metro, making the service the second-most unaffordable in the world, said a study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), based on data from the UBS report on Price and Earning, 2018. Mumbai Metro was ranked fourth in the list of most unaffordable metro services.

According to the study, an average commuter of Delhi Metro spends 14 per cent of his/her earnings on the travel service after last year’s tariff hike. The spending up goes to as high as 19.5 per cent for 30 per cent of Delhi's metro users, it added. Hanoi Metro is the most unaffordable service as users spend 25 per cent of their income to travel by it. In Mumbai, commuters spend 8 per cent of their income on metro travel. Mumbai Local Trains Claimed Over 400 Lives So Far In 2018.

Globally up to 15 per cent of household income is taken as the upper cap for transport to be affordable, according to the CSE study. Besides, as much as 34 per cent of the population in Delhi is deprived of essential non-AC bus services because it is unaffordable, said the study. Reacting to the findings, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said the study was selective.

Delhi’s transport commissioner Varsha Joshi also defended the tariff hike saying it was important to maintain quality. “If you don’t increase fares, the quality falls,” she was quoted as saying by Times of India.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 05, 2018 04:46 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).