Commuters on India’s Delhi Metro soon no longer will have to wait in lines to top up their prepaid transit smart cards under a new payments initiative the agency soon plans to launch.
By June, the operator plans to deploy an automatic fare-collection system that automatically will top up commuters’ card accounts when they walk through the gates, a spokesperson for the Delhi Metro Rail Corp. tells PaymentsSource. The system will withdraw the funds from the commuter’s bank account through an electronic clearing system, he says.
"When the balance of a smart card goes below the prescribed minimum amount, the gates will add a predefined amount to the card,” the spokesperson says. “This amount will be collected from the cardholder’s preregistered bank account.”
To participate, cardholders first must complete a registration form and provide bank details, their account number and the recharge amount, he adds. “Only then would the card be enabled for the service,” the spokesperson says.
The agency plans to install the first upgraded gates by June, and the system should be fully operational across the subway network by August, he says. Mumbai-based Siepmann's Card Systems will install the system.
Delhi Metro anticipates the new system will reduce long lines and the number of cash transactions made at ticket counters.
The Delhi Metro has 6.1 million smart cards in circulation, and more than 12,000 new cards are issued every day, according to operator data. Until the new system is put in place, consumers may purchase and recharge their cards only by paying cash at ticket counters, machines or customer care centers at metro stations.
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