Thiruvananthapuram: As part of the project for introducing digital payment for tickets in the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses, authorities are mulling to offer freebies to passengers. New travel cards will be introduced via the Chalo app, used by major RTCs in the country. Those travelling regularly using this would be offered free rides as well. One of the offers is two days of free travel for those undertaking 20 journeys on the same route in a month, which means those undertaking eight travels to Bengaluru in a month would be able to travel free for the next two journeys.
The second is other offers for those regularly travelling on the same route. The plan is to launch this in Thiruvananthapuram district next month, and then extend across the state from February onwards. Along with the Chalo app, the KSRTC would also get a server system for collecting all details of the passengers. Data analysis facility would also be made available to identify which bus is more crowded and the less crowded routes. Once the payment is done through digital ticketing, the ticket will be sent to the mobile phone.
This would also help avoid the annual expense of Rs 3 crore, required to buy paper roll for issuing tickets. Using the Chalo app, the Mumbai Transport Corporation was able to woo more passengers and witnessed an 11 percent increase in revenue, as per reports. The KSRTC will have to pay 13 paise per ticket to the Chalo app. The KSRTC issues an average of 18 lakh tickets per day.
