Bengaluru: After uproar, metro gives commuters Paytm option
The latest move by the BMRCL has been welcomed by people who feel happy because the journey time to their destination will be shorter.
Bengaluru: The Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) has decided to alleviate the woes of Metro users who were finding it difficult to recharge their Metro smart cards and has decided to allow commuters to recharge their smart cards using the Paytm application and also at major BMTC bus stations
Deccan Chronicle had on August 2 highlighted the plight of commuters who had to stand in long queues to recharge their cards due to a shortage of PoS swiping machine at metro stations. The latest move by the BMRCL has been welcomed by people who feel happy because the journey time to their destination will be shorter.
Kaushik S, a daily metro user says, "Earlier because of the shortage of PoS swiping machines, we had to wait in queues to recharge our smart cards. So I felt travelling by purchasing tickets was much better than using smart cards. But the BMRCL has now allowed us to make payment using the online application. This will be really helpful for the public to recharge their cards quickly."
The BMRCL introduced metro smart cards to promote cashless transactions and ensure a hassle-free journey for commuters. In fact it succeeded in making 60 per cent of commuters use Metro cards for their daily travel.
Not all commuters however feel the options offered by BMRCL will work. “Recharge using the online application is really a welcome move, but I feel recharge at BMTC bus stations will not work. We will have to stand in a queue there also along with BMTC passengers. So it is better if they can give us some more options for online recharge,” says Arun D, a regular metro commuter.
According to a senior BMRCL official, “The PAYTM app for recharge will be introduced in a few days. We are also discussing the issue with some bank officials to make the online payment option available. People should not compare the metro here to those in other cities because every metro works on a different system. We are doing our best to make our commuters feel good while travelling."