On Wednesday, the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) launched mobile-based digital passes for commuters. Passengers can buy the BMTC’s daily, weekly and monthly passes through a mobile app provided by Tummoc, a private firm offering online payment facilities for multi-modal transport service providers, according to an IE report. A senior corporation official was quoted in the report saying that this creates a hassle free pass purchase experience for commuters with cashless, paperless as well as contactless transactions. This system allows commuters to purchase passes at their fingertips through the mobile application, the official further said.
Once the payment is done, the pass holder can check the validity of the digital pass and the digital pass will be generated along with a unique ID, validity as well as dynamic QR code, the senior corporation official added. According to the report, the commuters will have to show the digital pass to the conductor on their mobile phone, who will validate the pass using an electronic ticketing machine. In the year 2019, the BMTC launched BMTC Namma Pass, a digital ticketing pass for the Volvo Vajra air-conditioned services, but later, it was scrapped by the corporation, the report added.
Last year in the month of November, almost after 20 months since the Coronavirus pandemic outbreak, the BMTC had resumed its night bus services after the night curfew was lifted by the state government of Karnataka. The night curfew was lifted by the Karnataka state government which was imposed on November 6, between 10:00 PM and 5:00 AM, following the decrease in the cases of Covid-19. The corporation, before the Covid-pandemic, operated a total of 130 night service buses across the city. An official had earlier said that based on the public demand, the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation will gradually increase the night bus services.
