Metro rail ticketing and fare payment to become easier

The authorities have taken an initiative to further simplify and expand fare payment options for metro rail passengers. Under a new system, commuters will be able to pay fares by using (taping) debit and credit cards. Additionally, there will be an option to pay for single journeys using mobile banking services as well.

The new system has been named the Universal Ticketing System (UTS). Officials involved in the process estimate it will take at least six months to implement. However, the current ticketing options, Rapid and MRT passes as well as single-journey cards, will remain in effect too.

The Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) is the organisation responsible for the construction and operation of the metro rail in Dhaka. According to a source at the organisation, an initial tender submission call has already been made for implementing the new ticketing system, UTS. Around 30 companies showed interest in that. They will be asked to submit technical and financial proposals next.

Concerned officials have said, after a contractor has been appointed and other procedures including equipment installation has been completed, it might take about six months to roll out the service to passengers.

The sources also reported that DMTCL will not invest to implement the new system. The contractor will be responsible for necessary initiatives including equipment installation, software installation, and transaction management. In return, a share of ticket sales revenue will go to the contractor. The exact percentage of the share is yet to be finalised and it depends on the financial proposals submitted by the contractors.

DMTCL sources say that the current method of fare collection used by the metro rail is called ‘closed-loop’. This system can only read cards manufactured by Sony Corporation of Japan. So, the use of debit and credit cards or any other alternative payment methods do not work. Under the new system, some additional devices will be installed at the metro stations for fare collection. And, the passengers will be able to pay fares by tapping their debit or credit cards in them.

Currently, single journey cards are purchased at station counters and tapped at the gates to board trains. After reaching their destined station, passengers are required to return the cards at exit points. In the new system passengers will be able to purchase single journey cards through mobile banking.

They would be able to buy single journey tickets via mobile banking apps such as bKash and Rocket just the way they use it for shopping. After paying the fare for travelling certain distance, the passenger will receive a QR code on their mobile phone. This QR code would have to be scanned at entry and exit points of the metro stations.

At present, passengers using the Rapid Pass or MRT cards receive a 10 per cent discount on metro rail fares. According to DMTCL data, 55 per cent of the metro rail passengers travel using the Rapid Pass or MRT cards, while the remaining 45 per cent rely on single-journey tickets. However, a shortage of Rapid Pass and MRT cards has been going on for long. Plus, if a Rapid Pass or MRT card runs out of balance under the existing system, the passengers must visit a station to recharge it and that often requires them to queue.

The upcoming system would allow passengers to travel on metro rail smoothly if they have balance on their credit or debit cards. Plus, they won’t have to wait in long queues for buying single journey tickets either as tickets could be purchased directly through mobile banking.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, DMTCL managing director Faruque Ahmed said, “It is our responsibility to provide passengers with sufficient cards or tickets as per demand. The easier the fare payment process, the more comfortable it will be for the passengers.” Noting that similar systems are already operational in countries like India, Singapore, and Hong Kong, he said that the primary goal of launching the new system is to enhance service accessibility and attract more passengers.

Nippon Signal Company from Japan has been supplying metro rail cards since the beginning. Initially, they provided around 313,000 (3.13 lakh) single-journey cards with around 728,000 (7.28 lakh) MRT cards. However, after the metro rail started operating in full-fledge from Uttara to Motijheel, the supply of both MRT and single-journey cards was quickly exhausted due to overwhelming demand.

According to DMTCL sources, the agency operating the metro rail is no longer procuring MRT Pass cards. Instead, another government agency, the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) is now purchasing Rapid Pass cards. However, the DTCA has been unable to meet growing demand, leading to a persistent shortage of cards.

Meanwhile, many single-journey cards have reportedly become inactive while still in passengers’ possession. In some cases, passengers did not return the cards and took them home. As a result, even the single-journey cards became unavailable at stations. In response, DMTCL authorities sent a requisition for the purchase of another 400,000 (4 lakh) single-journey cards, of which around 200,000 (2 lakh) have been delivered so far.

Professor of the Civil Engineering Department at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) and a transport expert, Shamsul Hoque told Prothom Alo that, the wider the fare payment system of the metro rail can be made is the better. Nothing can be a worse example than the passenger wanting to purchase the cards and the authorities failing to supply them. If the new system, the authorities have taken initiative to launch is successfully implemented, it will ease commuters’ hassle.