THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The KSRTC is deriving additional mileage from its revamped online booking service. In the nearly months to November, online ticket sales jumped by 28% compared with the same period last year.
Over 20-lakh passenger tickets were booked through the website and mobile application of the Online Passenger Reservation System (OPRS) during this period.
A record seven lakh tickets were booked online during the Onam season, the highest in KSRTC’s history. On September 13, the eve of the first day of Onam, 55,000 bookings were registered in a single day – another milestone for the public road transporter.
The new online booking system, offering a smooth payment experience and quick refunds in case of cancellation, is being seen as one of the reasons for increased passenger demand. According to corporation officials, demand is set to increase during the Sabarimala season as more buses are added to the fleet linked to the online booking system. “Online booking has increased occupancy of buses. We do give preference to long-distance travellers,” he said.
The number of buses offering online booking has increased from 950 in November to 1,079 now. KSRTC’s Pampa station has introduced a dedicated OPRS counter for pilgrims booking in groups of at least 40.
“People are tech-savvy and keen to make online bookings. At the same time, glitches are handled at the highest level,” said Chandan Singh, general manager, government business, Mantis Technologies Pvt Ltd, the firm behind the OPRS of Kerala and Karnataka RTCs.
Earlier, refunds in case of cancellation used to be a concern for passengers. The technology partner was tasked with reworking the payment gateway issues that caused delays.
Transport Minister K B Ganesh Kumar launched the overhauled online booking system on September 6. He promised fewer bus cancellations and a glitch-free refund policy to gain passenger confidence.
Online booking is done through www.onlineksrtcswift.com and the mobile app Ente KSRTC Neo Oprs – available in both iOS and Android versions. Most of the bookings happen through the website.