BENGALURU : A travel card that you could use in a Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) bus as well as on Namma Metro, has been a top demand of commuters for several years now. While both BMTC and the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL) have, in the past, promised to work towards this goal, it is yet to see the light of day due to several technical issues.
Now, with the Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara promising action on the same recently, commuters are yet again hopeful that both corporations will be able to resolve the differences between their respective systems and provide commuters with a efficient single travel card for Bengaluru. Parameshwara had recently acknowledged the demand for the card and said that the government would take action on the 'common fare card' post the recently concluded by-polls.
According to users, who currently use two different cards, a single unit would be beneficial. "This is common practice across several countries where public transport can be accessed with only one card. With Bengaluru being the technological hub of the country, it is confusing to see these companies struggle to integrate their cards into one," said Yogesh Shah, a app developer who works in CV Raman Nagar.
While the BMRCL has in the past promised to work with the BMTC on the issue, several meetings held have yielded no results. At the core of the problem is the different systems used by both corporations. While the BMTC has worked on and introduced an open-loop card, one that allows passengers to swipe the card at locations other than bus ticketing machines, the BMRCL has restricted itself to smart cards which can be used only within Namma Metro for travel (closed-loop cards). In the past, it was suggested that BMRCL shift over to the open loop system, something that it had been reluctant to do before.
BMRCL officials could not be reached for comment on how this would proceed with the Government now taking a keen interest in the project. However, according to sources, the option before the BMRCL was to shift to the open loop system, which is under active consideration. Namma Metro has been seeing a steady increase in its ridership after the completion of phase 1 and ferries over four lakh passengers on an average. The conversion of all three coach trains into 6 coaches is expected to increase the ridership figures further.
"The train capacity might have doubled, but the station infrastructure remains the same. Soon, buying a single journey ticket for Namma Metro will not make any sense and smart cards will be the way to go forward. If they can introduce a common smart card, it would be the best motivation for more people to use both BMTC and Namma Metro for their daily travel," said Rukmini V, a resident of Kengeri.