NEW DELHI: The Delhi government on Saturday approved a scheme providing 10 per cent discount on e-tickets purchased through the ‘Chartr’ App for travelling in Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and Cluster buses.The scheme aims to promote contactless ticketing in buses and stop the spread of Covid-19 cases. There is also a 10 per cent discount on purchasing tickets through One Card/Smart Card.
The government’s app has been undergoing extensive trials under a Special Task Force constituted in July 2020. Initial tests have shown that bookings through the app account for 6 per cent of the total tickets sold, said officials. The app is available in both Hindi and English. In addition to e-ticketing, the app also contains real time information and estimated time of arrival (ETA) of buses and information about the nearest available electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. Passengers can also buy tickets by scanning the QR Code inside the bus and selecting the source and destination.
Delhi has a combined (DTC and Cluster) fleet size of 6,750 buses and carries an average of 49 lakh passengers a day. Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said, “I’m hoping that the state-of-the-art buses, with increased surveillance, safety features and right incentives like the ones we’re offering through e-ticketing apps and common mobility card, will be a much-needed push for Delhiites to adopt public transport as their default mode of transport.”
Officials said that with the surveillance and tracking in all buses being monitored by a centralised command centre, pushing for smarter modes of ticketing will be a crucial step in data management. This move is also expected to save printing and storage too.