Bengaluru: After the success of the trial run, the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) is planning to introduce cashless bus passes for commuters of the AC Vajra buses. This cashless system will save the BMTC an estimated 2.6 lakh sheets, in paper tickets every day.
To use the cashless system, the passengers will have to upload their details on the Namma Pass website, upload a selfie and then pay for the daily pass online. The selfie is required to be uploaded to prevent the pass from being used numerous times, sources said.
Once a passenger applies for a daily pass, a digital pass ticket is generated and will be available on their mobile phones. This pass has to be shown to the bus conductor to receive an ID number from him. The conductor then enters the ID number in the electronic ticketing machines (ETMs), which will be installed at 10 of the major bus depots in the city.
The drawback of this system, however, is that not all people have mobile phones, as pointed out by a noted environmentalist who advocated for the introduction of a single smart card or a coin based system for all modes of transport.
A few years back, the BMTC had reportedly tried to introduce a single smart card for cashless travel on the buses as well as the metro but, issues between the BMTC and the BMRCL prevented this proposal from taking off.
