Soon,passengers may be able to swipe debit cards to pay for bus tickets

Presently,Electronic Ticketing Machines (ETM) are used for dispensing journey tickets to the passengers in UPSRTC buses. Passengers are required to make cash payment to the bus conductor. Now the conductors will be handed over a card swapping machine for collecting ticket payments.

Bijnore,Rampur,Moradabad,Pilibhit,Auraiyya,Jaunpur and Etawah have been selected for implementing the scheme on a pilot basis. “We have selected a few buses in each depot of these districts. The conductors will be trained to use card swapping machines and accepting debit cards,” B S Bhullar,Principal Secretary,Transport stated. The project is likely to be started in the next two months.

“We will study the percentage of passengers who use debit cards to buy tickets on a particular route in a bus. The project will then be extended to other routes and finally across the state,” an official stated.

According to UPSRSTC officials,the use of debit cards has many advantages. The passenger will not be required to carry cash in a crowded bus. It is easy for the bus conductors as exact payment can be realised and there is no issue of returning money to passenger.

“Often the conductor is short of exact change to be returned to the passenger. He writes it on the back of the ticket and often passengers forgets to collect it,” an official added.

The debit card system will also be helpful for the bus conductors. They will get rid of carrying heavy cash with them and their accounts can be checked easily. “Often incidents are reported where the conductors misplace their cash and make payments from their own pocket. Ticketing through debit cards will settle this issue,” he said.

The biggest advantage for UPSRTC will be that the amount will be credited directly to its account. Presently,the depot after collecting the amount from bus conductors,routes it to the head office through its regional office. It takes several days to complete the process. “We will also get an exact picture of revenue from the tickets instantly. It will help us in planning. More profitable routes will be identified instantly unlike now when we have to seek report from the respective regional offices,” he added.