BENGALURU: AS part of its efforts towards digitisation and easing the travel of passengers, the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) will be launching the online booking of bus passes on one of its key routes in a few days. Based on public response, the step will be replicated across all Volvo buses after the necessary infrastructure for it is in place.
Bus route no. 335E, which runs 65 schedules daily between Majestic and Kadugodi, will be the first to have it in place. The cost of a Volvo day pass is `147 (inclusive of `7 GST).
A top BMTC official told The New Indian Express, "As of now the booking can be done on a Smartphone. The pass booked will be displayed on screen in a scrolling fashion. It needs to be shown to the conductor in the bus, when asked."
This will do away with the need to carry cash when travelling by bus or haggling with conductors for change, the official said.
Asked if it could be done on a computer, the official said that presently it was developed keeping smartphone in mind. "It might be possible on a laptop," he added. The move will definitely help passengers in a hurry, he said.
In addition to this, two 335E buses have been fitted with a facility to scan the QR code as well as a beacon. "The beacon will send an alert to the passengers who are within a 15 metre to 20 metre radius that the tickets can be booked online for this specific vehicle," he said.
Asked if it would eliminate the presence of a conductor on the bus, the official said, "We are trying to adopt the latest technology. This is the first step we are taking in that direction. Gradually, the modernisation of such processes would evolve in such a way that human intervention can be done away with."
Discount on Vajra bus fares extended by one more month
Bengaluru: As part of its commuter-friendly initiatives, Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation has extended the discounted fare for passengers on its Vajra air-conditioned buses up to June 30. The discount period was supposed to end on May 31. An official release stated, “Based on the positive response from the commuters and as a part of a commuter friendly initiative, the revision is now extended till June 30.” The reduction in Vajra fares was implemented from January 1. “The stage-wise reduction of fares varied from 5% to 37% while the average fare reduction was 29%. This was extended till May 31,” it added.