Soon, a single smart card will allow commuters to access all modes of public transport in the city. The Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC) has proposed to introduce an Integrated Ticketing System.
Using a single smart card commuters will be able to book tickets to travel on the suburban railway network system, the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport bus services, the monorail and the Metro. MRVC has been appointed as the nodal agency for introducing the integrated ticketing system.
Sanjay Singh, chief spokesperson, MRVC, said: “When the system is implemented, railway passengers will be able to travel with a single tap of the card.” MRVC officials said that a double tap system, one at entry and one at exit, will only work if there are turnstiles.
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Under the new system, the fare of the journey will be deducted from the smart card when it is tapped it on a console specifying the station of origin and the destination. Several years ago, the railways experimented with the Go Mumbai Smart card, which failed because the card had to be validated before passengers entered and left stations.
Mr. Singh said, “We are proposing that season ticket holders be integrated first into the system. Then they won’t have to validate their card before every journey.”
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, which is implementing the project, has launched a competition to design the brand name, logo and the smart card for the integrated ticketing system. The last date for the public to submit entries is January 21.
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A.V. Shenoy, a transport expert, said: “It is a good move as commuters will not have to stand in a queue. However, I feel that the interface on which commuters will tap needs to be user-friendly.”