Even after new updates on Namma BMTC app, users can’t book e-tickets through the app. The Transport Minister had assured that they would be able to.
More than five weeks since the Transport Minister announced that the updated Namma BMTC app will have an e-tickets feature, commuters cannot buy tickets online. Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) officials said that there are no plans to introduce e-tickets anytime soon.
Transport Minister, Ramalinga Reddy announced on Sept. 5 that the highly anticipated Namma BMTC app, scheduled to be released on Sept. 25, will offer the convenience of purchasing bus tickets through the app. BMTC made updates to its Namma BMTC app on Sept. 25, as a part of the BMTC’s silver jubilee celebrations. However, the e-tickets feature is yet to be made available on the app.
Prerit, a commuter who often uses BMTC buses between the Majestic Bus Terminus and Sarjapura, for work, said that Namma BMTC and Tummoc apps are inefficient and the tracking system is not reliable. He said that he does not use the Tummoc app as he prefers buying tickets, not passes. He added that there should be an e-tickets facility, as it will make commuting by buses easy. He added that people generally don’t carry cash as they rely on cashless transactions through Unified Payments Interface (UPI).
Tummoc app and Namma BMTC app are the two apps that are used for BMTC services. Namma BMTC app is used for live route tracking, journey planning, fare calculation and to spot nearby bus stops, while for booking passes online, this app redirects users to the Tummoc app. As a result, users are required to download both apps. Tummoc is a private company offering payment facility for transport service providers through its app. BMTC collaborated with Tummoc in April 2022. Despite the collaboration, the e-ticketing option for BMTC buses on this app announces “Coming Soon”.
A System Manager from the IT Department of BMTC said that there was a plan to introduce e-tickets when the app was launched but currently there are no such plans. . She added that a lot of technicalities and permissions are required to start e-ticketing but no initiatives have been taken yet. She also said that when this feature is introduced, bus conductors will be required to undergo training to check e-tickets and it will not be easy when buses are crowded.
Gautam Kaushal, an IT Professional, said that having two apps could possibly be to have a private player in the business. Otherwise any app that can facilitate live tracking can easily have a portal for passes or e-tickets as well. He added that live tracking might not work well if the app doesn’t quickly update bus movements, causing delays in showing if a bus has started late due to issues like engine trouble or traffic, and would therefore reach the destination late.
Another problem with BMTC buses is that a lot of buses do not have an online payment option through UPI and people can buy tickets only by cash.
An official from the BMTC said that Vajra and Vayu Vajra (airport bound AC buses) buses have online payment options and efforts are being made to bring this facility to all other buses also.
Meenakshi, a student of St. Joseph’s University said that she travels via bus at least once a week and each time she has to carry change as most BMTC buses do not have UPI payment options. She added, “It is very inconvenient as I use GooglePay for all other transactions, but then each time I have to carry Rs. 15 or 20 to buy a bus ticket.” She also mentioned that even if there is a scanner in a bus, the conductors still insist on collecting cash.
Manjunath, a bus conductor, said that most of the buses rely on cash payments. He said, “When the bus is crowded, it gets difficult and time consuming to collect cash from every passenger as many of them don’t have ready change. I sometimes fail to give tickets to some passengers in the process.” He implied that UPI payments would be easier in such situations, as conductors would only need to check the payment status instead of struggling with cash and change.
Gautam said that using UPI for payments is not a big deal anymore, if it is not there yet, it is probably due to lack of initiative on the administration’s end.
