Chennai: Most of the 14 automatic ticket vending machines (ATVMs) at railway stations in Chennai division lie unused, thanks to commuters. The machines were installed to reduce queues at stations. “I have seen the machines at railway stations, but never used them,” said P. Anwar, a frequent rail commuter. Another commuter said he had seen employees sell tickets using the machines but he never operated ATVMs himself.
When this was brought to the notice of a senior railway official, he said: “People are not aware how to use the machines. Sometimes, the staff help commuters in using the machines. But ATVMs are supposed to make ticket buying easy for commuters as they are easy to operate. We have mandatory checks on ATVMs installed across stations which let us know which machines are not working and need repair,” he added.
UTS mobile ticketing app was introduced for booking suburban rail tickets in Chennai at the click of a button. While the app saw good reviews among passengers, according to officials, it was more popular among season ticket-holders as season tickets can be purchased while at station or during a journey.
“The app functions very smoothly. It is more reliable, as I haven’t been as comfortable about getting a smart card, but using the app it is easy to recharge and beat long queues,” said Suresh, a commuter.
To make issuing tickets easier, smart cards were introduced in 2009, which also found only a few takers, according to railway sources. Till date, 1,41,873 smart cards had been issued. Unlike the app, the coin-operated ATVMs and smart card operated machines remain largely unused by commuters in the absence of assistance. The result-long queues at stations continue.
