NEW DELHI: More than 74 lakh QR code-based paper tickets have been sold to commuters following their launch in early May and the sale of tokens has dipped by over 30 per cent since then, officials said.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) introduced the QR code-based paper ticket system on May 8, describing the development as a move towards a “more transparent and human intervention-free mechanism”. The DMRC intends to gradually phase out the concept of physical tokens, officials said.
However, any future planning will keep in mind the constraints of digital technology and that not all commuters may have access to smartphones, they said. “The total number of QR code-based paper tickets sold till May 30 is nearly 74,00,854,” a senior official of the DMRC said.
The urban transporter hopes that commuters will gradually start using fewer physical tokens after the launch of this service. But many passengers have complained about technical issues faced at AFC (automatic fare collection) gates while using QR code-based paper tickets.
DMRC official said there are “no technical issues” at AFC gates right now. “Around 50 per cent of AFC gates across the network have been made QR code-compliant. Since the introduction of QR code-based paper tickets, token sales have dropped by about 32 per cent,” the senior official said. The Delhi Metro aims to make the AFC gates across the network QR code-compliant by the end of June.