A pre-paid card-enabled commuting system introduced by a consortium of bus operators has been in operation in Kottayam district without a hitch for the last five years, enjoying considerable patronage from passengers.
A group of operators formed a Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) by the name My Bus United Services to implement the system. It now has three offices in Kottayam, Pala, and Changanassery.
“The card is now used in 250 buses originating from Kottayam and covering 20% of routes, including all routes on the Kottayam-Kumily road, spread over Idukki, Pathanamthitta, and parts of Ernakulam district. Passengers using the card are offered a discount of 15% of the fare, and on last count, around one lakh cards are in use,” said Rahul Tom, one of the designated partners.
Apart from setting up exclusive My Bus shops at major bus stations in the district for promoting the card, passengers can buy and recharge cards inside the bus in denominations of ₹100. The card will be active for five years with a provision for reactivation thereafter.
“We are planning to shortly introduce an automatic system whereby passengers can swipe the card while entering and exiting the bus, and the fare will be automatically deducted, thus doing away with manual intervention. Most buses already have pneumatic doors, easing the introduction of the system,” Mr. Tom said.
He added that the system had been found effective in improving customer loyalty, which in turn helped in boosting patronage for public transport network.
