MM : BEST makes a ‘smart’ move : Oct 23,2007

BEST makes a ‘smart’ move
Within a month, the undertaking will club its smart card services with railways; passengers can use same pre-paid ticket for trains and buses
NILESH NIKADE



    The Brihanmumbai Electrical Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking is all set to make travelling easy for commuters. Soon, BEST will club its smart cards services with suburban railway ticket services in the city to enable passengers to use the same pre-paid ticket for both BEST buses and local trains.

    Uttam Khobragade, general manager of BEST, said, “Within a month, we will complete the process of merging our smart cards with the railways. It will allow passengers to use the same card for travelling by suburban trains and BEST buses. The railways are considering our proposal. This will ease commuting in the city.”

    BEST is expecting a boom in smart card sales after it is clubbed with the railways. “The cards are pushing our sales by an average Rs 6 crore every month. Over two lakh commuters are utilising it. By clubbing it with the railways, we expect its usage to go up by 200 per cent,” said Khobragade.

    BEST began providing smart cards for passengers in January 2007. The card is issued for a specific route and has the validity recorded on its chip. Bus conductors are equipped with sensors that can read the expiry date on the cards. On the other hand, Western Railway launched smart cards on October 11, 2007, which allow passengers to operate Automatic Ticket Vending Machines (ATVM).

    After the merger, passengers who often travel by BEST buses would be able to buy bus and rail tickets using the same cards.

    Pranai Prabhakar, PRO, Western Railways, said, “The proposal is under consideration. The smart cards initiated by us have received overwhelming response and everyday almost 7,000 people are escaping queues by using them. The card was planned in such a way that in future it could be utilised for multiple modes of transport.” Central Railway spokespersons were not available for comment.

THE OYSTER CARD

Such a system already exists in London. The card is known as Oyster Card. It is a form of electronic ticketing used in London’s public transport network. The card doesn’t need to be removed from purses or wallets; instead the user just needs to pass it over an electronic reader to get through tube gates or board other services.

The smart cards will make travelling easy for commuters

Publication:Mumbai Mirror ; Date:Oct 23, 2007; Section:City; Page Number:7

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