Use credit card to buy tickets on UP buses soon

Passengers travelling on state-run buses in Uttar Pradesh will soon be able use their credit cards to buy tickets, thanks to a new device that the conductors will carry.

The Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation will introduce Android electronic ticketing machines (ETMs) on all its buses over the next six months, its managing director Raj Shekhar said on Thursday.

The ETMs will handle tickets bought through cash as well as credit, debit and smart cards.

"It will help in the improvement of the revenue of UPSRTC and give additional comfort to passengers, he said. The move will also help in data collection", the MD said.

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About 15,000 such machines will be inducted in the next three to six months, covering all buses and routes, he said after a meeting of the UPSRTC board.

The board also approved a policy to offer a telescopic fare system under which those travelling long distances would pay less than they do now. It will be implemented first on a few routes in a three-month trial. If the system works, all long-distance routes will be covered.

The board decided to acquire Lucknow Development Authority land on a 90-year lease at Kamta in the city for a bus station. About 500 buses will operate from this station, beginning January 1.

All buses for the Purvanchal region will run from there, helping decongest the city and reduce pollution, he said. The board also decided to induct 100 high-end buses in the UPSRTC fleet over the next six months, he said.

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