Bengaluru: After many delays BMTC will be finally launching smart cards on a pilot basis. "In another 10 days or so, we will launch 100 smart cards for BMTC passengers. The number is small for trial phase and will be increased later," said Dr Ekroop Caur, Managing Director, BMTC.
The card will be issued for passengers of Volvo route number 335 E, plying between Kempegowda Bus Station and Kadugodi. The response will determine BMTC's next goal of open loop cards, which will integrate this smart card with Metro ride fares, Ola and Uber rides, shopping, mobile recharge, groceries and ATM withdrawal.
The smart cards were initially meant to be launched in September last year, but due to certain technical challenges they had to postponed.
Commenting on the delay, Caur said, "There were challenges but they are not insurmountable. Fine tuning is going on and things are falling into place. We are getting our infrastructure ready and training our staff to handle smart cards."
Earlier BMTC IT Director Bishwajit Mishra had told Deccan Chronicle that a big challenge with open loop cards would be to make sure that card transactions do not interfere with each other.
"The National Payment Corporation of India is also working on open loop smart card. It is the first time anything of this sort has been tried in India. We have to ensure the electronic ticketing machines will have SIM cards, to provide internet while swiping the card even while inside a depot," Mishra earlier said.
