Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) reported that ridership fell to 90.18 lakh passengers in April 2023, a decrease from 1.01 crore in March. The average daily ridership dropped to around 3 lakh, attributed to school holidays and extended weekends. The highest daily ridership of 3.65 lakh was recorded on April 2, just before an extended weekend. To boost passenger numbers, CMRL is implementing event-based travel initiatives, including free rides for IPL 2026 matches, which attracted 40,265 additional passengers. Most commuters utilized integrated ticketing options, with over 45 lakh using the national common mobility card. Urban transport experts have noted that low ridership is partly due to poor last-mile connectivity and limited integration with other transport modes. They anticipate that ridership will increase significantly once the phase-2 lines are operational, similar to trends observed in the Delhi Metro.