TGSRTC plans pre-boarding tickets for Hyderabad buses
HYDERABAD: Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) is preparing to introduce a pre-boarding ticketing system that will allow passengers to buy tickets before getting on city buses.
Similar to the ticketing system used for Hyderabad Metro, the advance or boarding ticketing facility is expected to be introduced through the MeeTicket app. TGSRTC is also working on issuing digital bus passes to students.
Digital payments account for 23% of revenue
More than 26 lakh passengers travel every day on over 3,200 buses in Greater Hyderabad. Of them, 70% are beneficiaries of the Mahalakshmi free bus travel scheme.
TGSRTC earns ₹ 6.5 crore a day from its Greater Hyderabad operations, with digital payments accounting for 23% of the revenue. The proposed pre-boarding ticketing system is expected to increase the share of digital payments.
Buses see heavy crowds during the morning and evening peak hours. Passengers who cannot find seats often have to buy tickets while standing in crowded buses.
Technical glitches in digital payments also sometimes delay ticket issuance, affecting bus speeds and schedules. Buying tickets before boarding is expected to reduce inconvenience for both passengers and conductors.
Passengers can buy tickets before boarding buses
Passengers will be able to select their boarding stop and destination on the mobile app and buy tickets in advance using Unified Payments Interface (UPI) or cards.
They can also track buses through the TGSRTC Gamyam app and plan their journeys based on the time mentioned on their tickets. TGSRTC describes Gamyam as its real-time bus-tracking application.
TGSRTC plans digital bus passes for students
TGSRTC’s digital bus passes have received a good response since their launch through the MeeTicket mobile platform on February 25. So far, 14,000 passengers have used the facility, generating more than ₹ 2 crore in revenue.
City Ordinary, Metro Express, Metro Deluxe and Pushpak bus passes, along with T-24 tickets, are currently available digitally.
TGSRTC has now decided to extend the facility to student bus passes. The move is expected to reduce crowds at bus pass counters and ease the workload on staff.
MeeTicket is a Telangana government platform designed to support ticketing services, including transport services such as metro and bus travel.
