BENGALURU: The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation has witnessed nearly 18 per cent decline in passenger bookings because of demonetisation, says KSRTC managing director Rajendar Kumar Kataria.
“We have incurred a total loss of nearly Rs 15 crore because of cancellations of bookings due to demonetisation. Many people have postponed their journeys because of the note ban,” he said, adding that passenger traffic has been improving over the last few days.
In a bid to provide cashless travel, Kataria said, KSRTC is embracing three new ways - electronic ticketing machines, e-wallets and Point of Sale (PoS) machines.
KSRTC’s proposed electronic ticketing machine will help passengers to swipe thier debit or credit cards. The machines are expected to be used in 2,000 buses.
KSRTC is also in talks with a private firm to come up with a dedicated KSRTC e-wallet so that users can deposit money in advance with KSRTC. The wallet can be used as a payment option with the customer’s mobile number even if they don’t have a bank account.
Kataria said that they have facilitated Point of Sale machines at 10 ticket counters across the state.