President of India Droupadi Murmu is set to launch the “Open Loop Ticketing System” for the Haryana State Transport Corporation on the occasion of Gita Mahotsav 2022 in Kurukshetra. This will make Haryana the first state to introduce the open-loop ticketing system for roadways buses.
What is Open Loop Ticketing System?
- The open-loop ticketing system aims to help commuters to do away with buying physical tickets for roadways buses.
- The entire system includes the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) issued by AU Small Finance Bank, Electronic Tickets Issuing Machines (ETIMs), a GPS System, and Online Reservation System for advance booking of tickets.
- The AU Small Finance Bank will be providing the ETIMs and ticket payment transaction capability through cash, QR code or UPI.
- The open-loop ticketing system will initially be launched for bus routes originating from 6 districts – Faridabad, Chandigarh, Karnal, Sonipat, Bhiwani, and Sirsa.
- Over 10 lakh National Common Mobility Cards (NCMCs) will be issued in the first phase, enabling commuters to use more than two transport systems without having to buy two separate tickets for them. The NCMC was conceived as an inter-operable card by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in March 2019 to ease travel in various modes of transport.
What is the significance of the Open Loop Ticketing System?
The Open Loop Ticketing system will ensure transparency in the bus charges and curb revenue losses. It will improve the passengers’ travel experience and minimize the requirement for cash transactions. It will provide the facility to book tickets via mobile applications and online reservation system (ORS). The system will also enable people to avail facilities like prepaid transit cards as bus passes to concessional or free categories of passengers like students, armed forces personnel, freedom fighters, etc. It will play a major role in making road transport in Haryana cashless, contactless and environmentally friendly.