Namma Metro will soon introduce QR code ticketing

Credits: @im.sachin_chauhan (Instagram)

In the coming months, BMRCL will introduce a QR code-based ticketing system for individual passengers, speeding up its strategy to go cashless.

The QR code ticketing system will reduce social interaction, especially among passengers who do not have a smartcard.

After the lockout, Namma Metro operations resumed in September, but the tokens that acted as tickets have been suspended due to the pandemic.

Passengers who do not want to purchase a smart card for a single trip have gone to social media to demand alternatives to tokens.

Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) has issued a request for proposals for the new system, which is set to go live in the next five months.

A new app, according to the new system’s architecture, will enable passengers to book tickets using QR codes displayed on their mobile phones.

The automated fare collection gates, which will be upgraded in all stations under Phase 1 with technology similar to that used in the Yelachenahalli-Silk Institute corridor in Phase 2, will check the QR code.

The upgrade of the old AFC gates will begin in June, according to BMRCL chief public relations officer B L Yashvanth Chavan. According to the plan, each station will have one or two gates with the new AFC system to help with the QR code system and the open-loop common mobility card. He claimed that the work would begin in June.

The new app will function as a smart card and will be linked to the Metro AFC system, allowing users to check their balance and transaction (travel) history. Instant recharges will be possible through UPI, debit cards, and net banking.