BENGALURU: With an average of 20,000 passengers opting for mobile app to book tickets every day, the Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS) app has become hugely popular in the state, particularly in Bengaluru. The reasons behind its enormous success being the time saved by avoiding queues and no need for physical cash.
According to the Railways, as of May 9, 2,67,231 registrations have been made through this app in South Western Railway (SWR) Zone with a majority of downloads being done by Bengalureans at 1,98,298.
The app was first launched for the Zone in Belagavi on Feburary 8, 2018, by Railway Minister Piyush Goyal. Platform tickets, season tickets and unreserved journey tickets can be booked through the UTS mobile app available on Android, Windows and iOS smartphones.
The New Indian Express spoke to a few frequent travellers who vouch for this app as it has made their travel hassle-free.
Data scientist at Dhruv Technologies Pradeep Kumar, who commutes to his hometown Mysuru from Bengaluru every weekend is relieved that he can go home by trains now. "I use the UTS app as it is very useful. I often begin my journey on Saturday morning and every the queue at KSR station is really long. Nowadays, I book my ticket on my phone and board the first train heading to Mysuru," he told the reporter.
Kumar wonders why some passengers still stand in queues. "The 5 per cent cashback offered through the railway wallet available by the app is a plus point. I deposit Rs 1,000 in the app wallet but can book tickets worth Rs 1,050," he explained.
Accounts manager at Anand Rathi Wealth Consultants Rachana Rao said she began using the app a year ago. "I travel frequently to Mysuru. I use my PayTM account or credit card to book my ticket. It is extremely useful and I just need to use the 'Show Ticket' option on the app to produce a proof of ticket to anyone if required," she said.
Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Bengaluru Railway Division, N R Sridharamurthy, said: "This app has helped SWR Zone, especially the Bengaluru Division, which has taken a giant leap on its mission towards Digital India. Our persistent efforts to publicise the app through posters, tweets, Facebook posts and pamphlet distribution have fetched good results."