Now pay for bus tickets through QR code! PMPML introduces a digital payment scheme

Pune, June 6, 2020: While travelling by PMPML buses in the city, passengers will no longer have to pay cash to the conductor, they will just have to scan a QR code and pay for the ticket online. This will not only facilitate the exchange of money and tickets between the conductor and the passengers, but will also be useful in preventing Coronavirus infection.

Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) buses carry an average of 10 to 11 lakh passengers per day. Against the backdrop of the Coronavirus epidemic, the PMPML administration has planned various safety measures before the public transport buses service restart in Pune city. Currently, the service has been started in the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) jurisdiction. Only one passenger is being allowed to sit, instead of two, on one seat to avoid the risk of infection. The service will start in Pune shortly, and once the service starts at its full capacity, it will be a real challenge for the PMPML administration.

They have already started thinking about this, and have come up with some plans. The introduction of the ‘digital payment’ scheme is one such measure aimed considering that the process of accepting money from lakhs of passengers or giving them tickets is a bit risky. PMPML wants minimal contact between conductors and passengers.

In PMPML buses, the currency notes, coins given by the passengers are circulated to a large number of other passengers. The conductor is likely to have a physical contact with the passenger while issuing the ticket. Therefore, instead of giving tickets to passengers, they will be able to pay for tickets by scanning the QR code.

Digital Payment’ process for Passes: Passenger passes were being issued to citizens in essential services even during the lockdown at two pass centres in the city. The fees were not accepted in cash while issuing passes to the citizens at these centres, but a ‘QR code’ was made available for payment. Citizens could scan the code and make online payments. Digital payment schemes have already been launched at these two centres. It has received a good response from the citizens, PMPML officials said.