Kochi Metro will be the first in the country to launch a common mobility card for the greater-Kochi area, which would allow commuters to hop among different modes of public transport without the hassle of queuing up for tickets.
Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) inked a MoU with National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) here on Monday to ready the card, which can initially be used in the metro, buses and passenger ferries. Efforts are on to include trains, too, in the common platform. NPCI is the brand owner of RuPay payment network system, which is to be implemented in the project.
KMRL is planning to set up ticketing and Automatic Fare Collection System, which will be cost effective in the long run.
Addressing the media, A.P. Hota, MD and CEO of NPCI said that the multi-modal card is also multi form and multi utility since eventually it can even be used to purchase goods from shops.
He added that buses, boats and shops would have to install a validating machine that is getting cheaper with increase in sales. Referring to a recent meeting of Unified Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Elias George, MD of KMRL, said that private bus owners had welcomed introduction of such a card which ensures seamless shift among different commuting modes. “We will also get data on commuter movement.”
KMRL and NPCI will make a project plan with milestones to launch the Common All India Mobility Card, based on RuPay specifications in the greater Kochi area, as part of UMTA. The NPCI will be able to provide common mobility NFC specifications for KMRL to launch mobile-based NFC ticketing in future. As brand owner of ‘Rupay’ payment network system, NPCI is responsible for consolidating and integrating multiple systems with varying service levels into a nation-wide uniform and standard business process for all retail payment systems.
