Soon, cashless bus passes for Vajra commuters in B’luru

• Electronic ticketing machines (ETMs) to be installed to facilitate the cashless pass system

Bengaluru: After seeing a positive response to the trial run, Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) is planning to soon introduce cashless bus passes for commuters on AC Vajra buses in Bengaluru. BMTC plans to install electronic ticketing machines (ETMs) at 10 major bus depots in the city to facilitate the cashless pass system.

A BMTC official said that this is a first step in using a cashless mode of payment for the transport system. All the passengers will have to do is enter their details on a webpage called Namma Pass, upload a selfie and pay for the daily pass online. The selfie will be mandatory to avoid the pass being used multiple times.

The passengers will have to display the digital pass ticket on their mobile phones to the conductor and he will then provide an ID number. Following this an SMS will be sent to the conductor’s mobile as well as the BMTC server after which the conductor will enter the ID number in the ETMs.

Through the cashless mode of payment, BMTC is expected to save upto 2.6 lakh sheets in paper tickets every day. However, environmentalists want the officials to go ahead and introduce a single smart card for all modes of public transport in the city.

In the case of those who do not have mobile phones, it makes more sense to introduce a single smart card or a coin-based transport facility for all modes of transport, said a well-known environmentalist Suresh Heblikar.