Chennai: CUMTA's Common Mobility App to integrate cab aggregators for last-mile connectivity

CHENNAI: The common mobility app that the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA) is planning to introduce will not only be useful to plan your travel on public transport but will also help you book taxis and auto-rickshaws from service providers like Ola and Uber for first and last-mile connectivity.

During a pre-bid meeting that was held a few days ago, the firms that are in fray to develop the 'multi-modal journey planner and QR based unified' app were instructed that the app should integrate e-auto and taxi apps to ensure that a single ticket can be generated for the entire journey, including public transport operators (bus, train, Metro Rail) and intermediate public transport (autos and taxis).

Speaking to DT Next, a CUMTA official explained that the common ticketing for MTC buses (Metropolitan Transport Authority) and Metro Rail would be launched by the end of the current year during the first phase.

"Then, local and suburban trains will be integrated in phase-2. During the subsequent phases, private aggregators will be included. However, we are making the provisions in the common ticketing app for future integration," the official explained.

The transport authority will open the bids after the election model code of conduct is lifted and tenders will be awarded before the end of July. Once the bid is finalised, the selected firm will be given six months to develop the application.

Meanwhile, the preparation of digital solutions for MTC bus routes and schedules are under way, as this data is required for the journey planner app. Also, the MTC is in the process of adopting handheld electronic ticketing machines (ETM) so as to implement fare collection system and fare collection monitoring system, which is a requirement for the common app. Presently, Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) and Southern Railway have the systems.

According to data, around 29 per cent of commuters in the city use public transportation such as buses, Metro, and suburban trains every day. In terms of numbers, around 35 lakh trips are made on MTC buses while 9.27 lakh trips are made on suburban trains. More than 2.5 lakh trips are made using Metro trains.