Begin typing your search...
CMRL in final round of talks for online recharge
Soon, commuters may be able to use their e-wallets to travel in the Metro rail. Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), which established contact with a few e-commerce brands last year, is in the final round of negotiation with one of leading e-commerce brands Paytm to introduce the facility, sources in CMRL revealed to DT Next.
By
migrator
migrator
Chennai
“Our idea is to simplify the travel process for our commuters and hence we have contemplated cashless transaction for commuters,” said a senior CMRL official requesting anonymity.
Once introduced, commuters would be able to recharge their smart travel cards online and hence avoid the queue at the stations. “Almost every metro commuter carries a smartphone. They would be able recharge from anywhere,” explained another CMRL official.
CMRL had, in fact, contemplated the idea of creating a technology where the commuter would not even have to place the travel card against the digital reader. It was exploring the possibility of their readers automatically scanning the smartphones or the cards even while commuters walked past the gates, without halting for a moment.
Metro has already partnered with State Bank of India (SBI) and introduced dual interface cards, one of the six ticketing methods available in the network. The dual interface cards, which have two chips built in them, could function as debit/credit/prepaid cum travel cards. Issued by SBI to its customers, the cards would have both memories implanted in them. “When used as credit/ debit card, the reader would scan the memory of SBI in one chip. For metro, the other chip,” the official explained. The dual interface cards, like other travel cards, also carry a 10% discount for every journey. The dual cards would be valid for five years from the date of purchase or date of recharge, whichever is earliest.
TICKET OPTIONS
- Single journey ticket: Contactless smart token. Can be purchased at ticket counters and ticket vending machines. Valid only on the day of purchase.
- Store value card: Fare value is stored in the card and can be used for multiple journeys. Valid for five years from the date of purchase or recharge, whichever is earliest. 10% discount per journey.
- Trip ticket loaded with trips: 20% fare discount. 60 trips valid for 180 days. 30 trips for 90 days. 10 trips for 30 days.
- Tourist ticket: Available as 1-day card with unlimited travel. Should be used in 30 days from the date of purchase.
- Group ticket: Issued as single paper ticket for a group. Free ride for children less than 90 cms not applicable while using group tickets.
Visit news.dtnext.in to explore our interactive epaper!
Download the DT Next app for more exciting features!
Click here for iOS
Click here for Android
Next Story
