Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru (MS)

Bengaluru, Oct 21: A cashless travel facility will be introduced on KSRTC buses starting November.

Initially, the plan was to introduce the facility in June. However, due to the expiration of the contract for handheld ticketing equipment in October 2024, the implementation of the cashless facility was delayed. As a result, cashless machines will now be used from November.

New Handheld Electronic Ticket Machines (ETM) are already in use at Depot 4. Passengers can choose their preferred mode of payment, with options including UPI, credit, or debit card facilities. This service will be available on more than 8,000 KSRTC buses, eliminating the issue of providing exact change during travel, according to a senior KSRTC officer.

The official stated that the ETM implementation is currently on a trial basis, and they are waiting for the handheld device contract to expire. All KSRTC buses will be equipped with ETMs, and staff will be trained to use the new machines.

Passengers are required to provide their destination information, which, along with the passenger number, will be entered into the ETM. This generates a code along with the ticket price. For payment, the code must be scanned, and once the payment is successful, the ticket is printed. To validate passes, there will be a camera in the ETM. When fully charged, the equipment can be used for up to 72 hours.