In a move aimed at easing commuting, Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) is planning to roll out an online recharge facility for smart cards. The provision is expected to be introduced within a month.
CMRL officials say they are currently testing the system to look for any improvements that could be made before launching the facility. “This will be a great time-saver for commuters. They can recharge their cards at their convenience, come to the station and directly board the train,” an official said. Commuters have to pay ?100 to get a smart card, which is available at Metro stations across the city.
Once the facility is launched, Chennai would join the likes of Delhi and Mumbai in offering online recharge options for Metro smart cards.
Only recently, the State Bank of India, in association with CMRL, launched a ‘combo card’ which works as a debit-cum-Metro transit smart card. A variant is available with credit cards as well. Earlier, commuters had to top-up their combo cards at the Automatic Vending Machines in Metro stations. “But if this system to recharge online is introduced, top-up of combo cards could also be done online. We are working out the modalities to incorporate the combo cards as well into the online recharge platform,” a CMRL official said.
This apart, CMRL is planning to tie up with mobile commerce platforms like Paytm and Freecharge.
Chennai Metro Rail caters to over 10,000 commuters daily.
CMRL officials say they are currently testing the system to look for any improvements that could be made before launching the facility. “This will be a great time-saver for commuters. They can recharge their cards at their convenience, come to the station and directly board the train,” an official said. Commuters have to pay ?100 to get a smart card, which is available at Metro stations across the city.
Once the facility is launched, Chennai would join the likes of Delhi and Mumbai in offering online recharge options for Metro smart cards.
Only recently, the State Bank of India, in association with CMRL, launched a ‘combo card’ which works as a debit-cum-Metro transit smart card. A variant is available with credit cards as well. Earlier, commuters had to top-up their combo cards at the Automatic Vending Machines in Metro stations. “But if this system to recharge online is introduced, top-up of combo cards could also be done online. We are working out the modalities to incorporate the combo cards as well into the online recharge platform,” a CMRL official said.
This apart, CMRL is planning to tie up with mobile commerce platforms like Paytm and Freecharge.
Chennai Metro Rail caters to over 10,000 commuters daily.