Kochi1 card services in private buses

Kochi: The Kochi1 Card, the prepaid smart card rolled out by the Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) with the help of the Axis Bank, on Saturday became the country's first inter-modal transit card when its usage was extended to private buses.

The RuPay prepaid card will facilitate a host of additional ser-vices including parking solutions in near future, helping to make the commercial capital shift towards a cashless economy.

"We aim to add a series of additional se-rvices one can avail using the Kochi1card, including parking so-lutions for which we're already in talks with the planner of the Cochin Smart Mission Ltd (CSML)," said Sanjeev Moghe, Executive Vice Presid-ent & Head (Cards & Payments), Axis Bank.

The prepaid cards can already be used to pay for parking facilities at metro stations at 10 per cent discount.

"We aim to extend the card to autorickshaws, ferries including that of the State Water Transport Department and the proposed Water Metro, and also in KSRTC  buses so as to make it a Common Mobility Card in all respects," he said.

With extension of open-loop EMV-based prepaid card to private buses, Kochi has join-ed global cities like London, Singapore, Hongkong and Sydney to boost such a facility, the official noted.