Going green, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has become the first transport entity in the country to offer paperless ticket travel. A passenger who books an e-ticket or m-ticket (mobile booking) need not get a printout of the ticket. Instead, he/she can now show the ticket details received on his/her mobile along with a proof of his/her identity to the conductor on the bus. “We have taken a decision in principle to permit mobile tickets (on KSRTC buses). We are now checking whether this information has gone down well with the conductors. This facility will definitely be useful to passengers,” KSRTC Managing Director Gaurav Gupta toldThe Hindu.
As the passenger had to show the identity card along with the mobile ticket while boarding the bus, there would be lesser chances of impersonation, he noted.
Personal details
A passenger registering on the KSRTC web portal www.ksrtc.in or mobile portal ksrtc.in/mobile for booking e-ticket will have to provide all personal details, including the mobile number, date of birth and address.
When the passenger books an e-ticket or m-ticket, a system-generated ticket will be sent to the registered mobile number of that passenger. The soft copy of the ticket comprises details about the originating and destination places, name of the passenger/s, trip code, PNR number, date of journey, departure time, seat number/s, class of service, boarding point and platform number.
With the introduction of mobile ticket booking a few months ago, booking KSRTC tickets has become easier. Just by accessing ksrtc.in/mobile through GPRS-enabled mobile phones, one can register on the KSRTC website and book tickets.
With KSRTC deciding to permit m-tickets on board, the passenger is relieved of the burden of getting the ticket printed. Even on the move, one can book the ticket and later hop into the KSRTC service without making the effort to locate a cyber café to get a printout of the ticket.
Besides making booking tickets a hassle-free experience, the KSRTC has made the process of cancellation of tickets also equally hassle-free. Cancellation is now possible through the web portal or mobile portal.
On an average, 5,000 to 6,000 e-tickets are booked every day and if every passenger prefers to use an m-ticket, it means that much paper is saved. Although the KSTRC allows e-booking and m-booking of tickets using credit/debit cards and Internet banking accounts of some banks, it does not store any data of the customers relating to their transactions. Once the passenger blocks a seat or seats and proceeds for payment, the transactions are carried out through a secured connection directly with the bank.
Growth
More people are making use of e-booking and m-booking of tickets, according to the KSRTC. This, the corporation said, was because of enhanced capacity of the server. Even during the peak season between March and May, KSRTC’s portal did not witness any hitch and bookings went off smoothly.
This was because of strengthening of the server to receive as many as 1,000 simultaneous hits. In the coming months, the server will be further strengthened to receive up to 4,000 simultaneous hits, according to the KSRTC.
- Ticket details received on the mobile can be shown to the conductor, printout is unnecessary
- The passenger has to produce proof of identity
Source: The Hindu
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