Chennai Metro Tickets – Please onboard
NPCI UPI BHIM
The
major inspiration for this post is Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi highlighting
‘NPCI UPI BHIM’, in his Independence Day speech to the
world.
The minor
inspiration for this post is the Chennai Metro Press Release dt 03/08/2022, under
the tag line of “No more Q, only QR”
The complete press
release can be read @ https://chennaimetrorail.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Press-Release-03.08.2022-English.pdf
A
metro train journey starts with the visitor purchasing a ticket for the metro
journey.
More
than 50,00,000/- passengers travelled on Chennai Metro in July 2022. This means
50lacs + folks had to buy tickets via the single travel mode or Smart Card to
travel in the Chennai Metro.
Chennai
Metro is taking various steps to reduce the rush at its ticket counters. The
visitors have multiple channels to book tickets for travel on the Chennai Metro
both physical and digital.
Somehow
the preference is towards the physical tickets only. Physical tickets put a
stress both on the visitors and the ticketing staff.
A
new option i.e “No more Q, only QR” has also been introduced by Chennai Metro
to enhance the customer experience.
This
is particularly useful for visitors having mobile net connectivity but have not
downloaded the Chennai Metro App.
To
further enhance the customer experience, Chennai Metro can explore tie-ups with
NPCI UPI BHIM.
It
can take the lead for a Ticketing Module on the NPCI UPI BHIM. A
similar payment channel for few other Metros is already live on PhonePe. So, a
new development from scratch is not required. Only few tweaks may be required
to operationalise the ticketing facility on NPCI UPI BHIM.
The
smart cards are beneficial to frequent travellers on the metro route. This are
not suitable for visitors for Chennai wishing to explore Chennai via its
wonderful Metro.
The
‘Tap a Debit Card’, feature is yet to take off, as there are very few cards
enabled with the NCMC facility.
The
following benefits are foreseen with Chennai Metro onboarding NPCI UPI BHIM
:-
Benefit 01) Minimal technical
integration required between the BHIM and Chennai Metro Ticketing systems.
Under the “No more Q, only QR” mode, the passengers need to have net
connectivity on their phones to complete the ticketing process. This means
customers can also login to NPCI UPI BHIM to complete the ticketing experience.
Benefit 02) Volumes will increase
on the BHIM platform. The Chennai Metro travellers may prefer to do their other
UPI transactions via BHIM, once they are comfortable with the metro ticketing experience.
Benefit 03) A small addition to
the overall UPI volumes. The ticket size of Chennai Metro is below INR100/-.
Hence, the preferred payment option will be UPI over other modes viz net banking
/ credit card / debit card
Benefit 04) The travel card
recharge option can also be part of the proposed BHIM Chennai Ticket Module.
Other modules, like tourist cards can also be explored. The Chennai Metro
parking charges for 2 and 4 wheelers can also be collected through the ‘BHIM
Chennai Ticket Module’.
Challenges: Minimal challenges as
NPCI UPI BHIM is backed by Banks and Governments.
The QR ticket so generated can
automatically be downloaded into the Mobile used for ticket booking.
In case, the metro ticket is
being booked for other folks, the metro ticket can be shared via WhatsApp.
Any security features for a
seamless experience can be built into the Ticket interface module.
Additional Reading:
Chennai Metro Parking Tariff @ https://chennaimetrorail.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Parking-tariff-Updated.pdf
Rewarded with gifts will be given
to ticketing staff who sell the most number of Metro travel cards at Chennai
Metro Rail stations @
https://chennaimetrorail.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Press-Release-30.07.2022-English.pdf
Disclaimer: These are my personal
views only. The bottom line is Safe ePayments. Nothing More – Nothing Less.
Copyrights belong to the original owner only.
