Lucknow Metro: Cashless travel is on the cards

Driving in the concept of cashless travel, the Lucknow Metro is all set to provide chipbased smart cards that would ensure hassle-free journey for commuters.

Besides, those recharging the cards online or through cashless cards would get 10% additional travel value.

In the first phase Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation has printed 1 lakh such cards that would be put on sale after March 20.

As per officials, the cost of the card is kept at Rs 200 in which Rs 50 would be security deposit that would be refundable while the remaining Rs 150 would be used for travel. The card needs to be recharged as soon as the amount is finished.

WHAT IS SMART CARD?

It is a card-based ticketing system, under which a passenger is issued a plastic chip card that can be refilled for a certain amount. The best part of smart card is its high-class technology which automatically determines the distance travelled and deducts the ticket price for that distance from the balance after each travel made by passenger on a metro train.

ITS ADVANTAGES

It could be linked to major services and used for payments of power bills, water tax, house tax, railway bookings, cab booking among others. It could be used as a debit card because the value is already paid with the Lucknow Metro.

It is transferrable and can be used by friend or family members. It saves time as one doesn’t need to stand in a queue to buy tickets. According to a highly placed official of LMRC the fares for priority section-- from Transport Nagar to Charbagh -have been fixed and is awaiting nod from the new state government, the Centre and LMRC board.

The fares would not exceed the average of over Rs 1/km for any passenger say sources. The proposed fares are between 60 paise per km to Rs 1/ km based on the distance travelled.