Mumbai: Keen on adopting only an account-based system (ABS) for the proposed integrated ticketing system (‘one nation, one card’ for all modes of public transport), the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) granted more than 10 extensions to bidders. However, the railways was also insistent on the stored-value card system (SVC), in which balance is stored on smart cards, in addition to the ABS. So the compromise solution is: The integrated ticketing system will now be a hybrid system, with both ABS and SVC facilities and a revised tender will be floated soon, according to the additional metropolitan commissioner, Sanjay Khandare.
The MMRDA, which is the state body executing the project, insisted on the ABS, since in this system, payments are linked directly to the passenger’s bank account. Commuters may not need to carry a card, but can simply use mobile phones to pass through the ticketing gates. Under the SVC, if the card has insufficient balance, it will not permit the journey. This will not be the case under the ABS, where passengers may travel even if their accounts do not have enough balance. Khandare informed, “Currently we are examining both the models and based on the outcome, the specifications will be incorporated in the revised tender. We hope to call for the modified tender within two weeks.” Another official from the MMRDA added, the appointment of a company does not mean that the system will immediately be in use. “The selected company will start working on it and the system will be tested on a pilot basis. It will be at least a year before the integrated ticketing system comes into force in the MMR,”said the official.
