TSRTC to initiate smart card ticketing

Hyderabad: Bus commuters in the city may soon overcome the problem of small change while buying travel ticket for city buses and MMTS trains or for paying parking lot fee with the pre-paid smart card that the State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) is planning to launch. Not only purchasing tickets, the smart card is being designed with facilities of making online shopping or bill payments. 

A major initiative by TRSTC under the Intelligence Transport Management System (ITMS), the pre-paid card functions like a debit card with debits made by Radio Frequency Identification Device system and incorporated features allows one to purchase entry tickets at various public places such as historical sites, cinema halls and parks, according to the officials.

The card can also be used for commuting on Metro Rail project once its services are operational. The RTC officials said when swiped at stores that accept VISA cards, it will also enable the user to pay shopping



bills.

“For the buses, a commuter will have to place the card on an electronic ticket machine installed inside on boarding and again while getting down. The fare amount will be debited according to their commuting,” said R.V. Jayanth, Chief Engineer (IT and IEU), TSRTC.

Every time, a passenger punches, the fare for particular journey would be deducted from the travel card, likely to be christened either as ‘Multi-Mode Transport Card’ or ‘Multi Mobility Transport Card’, and added into the respective travel agency’s account. The smart card can be recharged online or at sales counter in TSRTC depots, bus stations and MMTS stations.

Discussions with MMTS and Metro Rail are on to finalise the fare structure, availability of cards, offering discounts to students, employees and validity.

The cards will be offered in different denominations and passengers will have to purchase a card based on their requirement such as one day, one week, one month or a year, he said.