There have been RFID CARD some quarrels between travelers and conductors over the fare in Mumbai. And now, BEST administration has been asked by its commuters to deploy cashless cards at all depots across Mumbai.
The public transport and utility provider had launched an experimental prepaid RFID smartcard last month at Wadala depot.
“Cashless cards can be used to buy tickets of any denomination, especially Rs 5, 7 and 12 for which bus conductors create a fuss and insist on small change,” said BEST commuter Prakash Menon.
The administration will accelerate the scheduled implementation in the island city and suburbs, said Ashok Patil, committee chairperson of BEST. “Those who already have daily bus pass ID cards can use the same to top up any amount and use it for purchasing tickets,”Patil added. It is said that other depots will also begin launching the facility from this month.
“Whenever a new system is introduced, we usually do it in phases,” a BEST spokesperson said. “In this case, we need to conduct trial runs at Wadala depot. Such an exercise will help us rectify any problems and streamline the process before it is launched at the other depots,” he added.
Transport activist Sunil Mone said that the RFID card should be integrated with the smartcards of railways, mono and Metro rail, in order to facilitate seamless travel.
At the same time, BEST also has plan to introduce GPS system in all buses soon. With the help of an SMS alert system, passengers will be able to get the estimated time of arrival of the next bus.rfid inlay
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