Bengaluru: The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL), which had started off its smart cards project with a bang, has cut down exclusive counters to recharge smart cards, forcing commuters to stand in long queues on normal ticket counters.
Earlier, the cards were recharged next to AFC (automatic fare collection) gates, but the facility has been stopped at most of the stations. “This is a big problem. We are forced to stand in long queues in normal counters, which are crowded. During peak hours, it is difficult to get the cards recharged and we are forced to skip the trains at the Mahalakshmi Layout Metro station.
BMRCL should look into this issue and open exclusive counters. It should also allow online recharge which will be even more helpful,” Mr Narayan Swamy, a software professional and a regular Metro commuter, told Deccan Chronicle. Only the Majestic Metro station has the recharging facility next to AFC gates, but at other stations, commuters have to use the normal counters. “In the beginning, BMRCL was recharging smart cards at regular counters. But as the demand increased, a counter next to AFC gates was started. But again, BMRCL has gone back on its decision, inconveniencing commuters. Official should solve this problem at the earliest,” said Mr Krishna Prasad, an activist.
A senior BMRCL official, however, said, “The problem is only at few stations because of technical issues. There has been no order to stop recharging counters. Now that the commuters are complaining, we will solve the problem.”
