New Delhi: Railway passengers in the country are showing positive interest towards digital payment systems installed at stations in various zones across the rail network to provide hassle free cashless ticket purchase.
Expressing his views about the digital payment system at railway stations, Sourabh Kumar, a passenger and resident of Delhi, told ETV Bharat, “It is a nice move by the railways which helps us to save our precious time during payment transactions. Earlier, we had to face several difficulties during cash payments. So many times we had to face loose change of money issues but in the digital payment system we can easily transfer whatever money to pay.”
Echoing the similar sentiment, another passenger, Rahish Kashyap told ETV Bharat, “Railway’s digital initiative is helpful for the passengers like us. After this system we get rid of long queues at ticket counters. Now, we get tickets and make digital payments which save our time as well as difficulties of standing in long queues.”
Highlighting the digital payment system, Vineet Abhishek, Chief Public Relations Officer, Western Railways said, “The QR code device is designed to display the applicable amount on the screen, enabling passengers to pay their ticket amount through various online modes of payment and applications.”
Transactions through QR code devices started from July 25 and more than 31 thousand tickets have been issued to about 7 lakh passengers till August 7, in which more than Rs 76 lakh digital payments have been recorded, Vineet Abhishek said.
As per railways, this new initiative is expected to speed up the transaction process, reduce waiting time and improve overall customer satisfaction.
Pankaj Kumar Singh, CPRO, Railways said with the installation of these QR devices, the problem of cash and small change has been done away with and the time taken in issuing tickets will be reduced and transparency will increase.
Earlier, the facility of digital payment through UPI was available for online ticket booking, but with the installation of these devices, now the facility of digital payment has become available for ticket booking at UTS and PRS counters as well.
According to Captain Shashi Kiran, CPRO, North Western Railways, Indian Railways is taking commendable steps towards digital India in the direction of becoming self-reliant. In this sequence, online digital payment has been started for railways tickets, parcels, retiring rooms, goods and all other payments on railways.
The facility to purchase tickets through digital payment is a boon to passengers as it helps them to avoid queues at the booking counters especially during morning and evening peak hours or holidays and during festivals, the railway officials said.
Lochan Singh, a passenger and Delhi resident, told ETV Bharat, “This digital payment system is good but old aged persons like me who don’t use smartphones have to pay in cash. Right now, several elderly people are unable to avail this facility because they don’t use smartphones.”
Digital Payment’s Benefits For Passengers
Queues
The passengers who are availing this digital payments mode get rid of long queues especially during holidays and festival season.
No issue of loose change of money
This mode of payment helps to avoid loose change of money issues. In cash payment, so many times passengers had to wait for getting or paying change money because of the absence of an exact amount of change.
Relief from carrying cash
The passengers are relaxed after implementation of digital payment at the station because now they don’t carry heavy amounts for buying tickets there.
Time Saving
Earlier, passengers had to spend so much time in the queue to buy a single ticket but now this times cut short by the digital payment system.
