CHENNAI: Following an overwhelming patronage among rail passengers for booking unreserved tickets through UTS mobile app, Southern Railway has decided to offer five per cent bonus for R wallet recharge value to promote the digital payment.The bonus offer which came into effect since Thursday will enable all mobile app users to book the tickets for more than the money they recharged in their account.
This means, when a passenger recharges his or her mobile app R-wallet for Rs 1,000, the wallet account will be credited with Rs 1,050 and the person can book tickets for value up to Rs 1,050.To reduce hassles to passengers in getting the tickets at station counters, paperless ticketing facility through UTS mobile app, which was available only in Chennai Suburban was extended across SR wallet rechargeouthern railway from April 14. The move enabled long distance passengers, who go from Chennai to Vijayawada, Ongole, Salem, Tirupati, Erode, Tiruchy and Madurai, to travel without paper tickets.
“Between April 14 and May 14, about 11.90 lakhs passengers travelled with 2.08 lakh unreserved tickets purchased through mobile app. As on May 23, on an average about 50,000 passengers patronised the app a day,” said Priyamvada Viswanathan, Principal Chief Commercial Manager, Southern railway.During an interaction with reporters at railway headquarters in Chennai, she said railways is planning to increase the sale of unreserved tickets up to 10 per cent through mobile app. “Railways sells unreserved tickets for 20 lakh passengers a day. We are planning to increase the ticket sale to enable about two lakh more passengers to travel a day through mobile app,” she added.
Railway board decided to provide five percent bonus for R recharge value that is aimed at promoting the paperless ticket travel among general class passengers. Though the mobile app is well received among short-distance travellers, many long-distance passengers are reluctant to travel with paperless e-ticket fearing that if their mobiles get drained, they will be treated as ticketless passengers.
“In case passengers are unable to show their e-tickets in their mobile phone for various reasons, TTEs have been provided with gadgets to authenticate the ticket details with the help of passenger’s mobile number. In such incidents, passengers will not be treated as ticketless travellers,” added Viswanathan.
A press release said users can recharge their R wallet either at any unreserved counter at stations or by using their credit and debit cards in the app itself. “Recharge can also be done through the website www.utsonmobile.indianrail.gov.in. When recharge of R wallet is done through UTS counters, no extra service charges are levied and the entire amount is credited to the R wallet account,” the release said.
Travel made easy
To reduce hassles, paperless ticketing facility through UTS mobile app, which was available only in Chennai Suburban, was extended across Southern Railway from April 14
Railways is planning to increase the sale of unreserved tickets by up to 10 per cent through UTS mobile app
Southern Railway is offering a five per cent bonus for R wallet recharge value to promote digital payment. This means, when a passenger recharges for Rs 1,000, her wallet account will be credited with Rs 1,050