Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) – one public service department that has long aired the sceptics to question Chandigarh’s urban tech-savvy image is finally going the higher road!
Yes, CTU is all set to launch online ticket booking facility. It is an intrinsic part of Chandigarh Administration’s drive to make Chandigarh a cashless city. For starters, the facility will be made available for long route buses and will be replicated for inter-city bus service in the second phase.
How is it going to work?
There’s a special software that CTU has got developed for itself to enable online bus ticket reservation. All what the commuters are required to do is got to official CTU website and generate their unique login ID. Then, login details with password will be sent to the applicant via SMS and e-mail.
The website will maintain data pertaining to number of seats available on every bus and reservation details. It will also allow the commuters to track their buses with frequent updates on the location of the bus.
Around 10 Point Of Sale (POS) machines at inter-state bus terminal in Sector 17 and 43 have been placed. The passengers can make the payment via debit and credit cards. On service charge levied by bank up to 2% on each transaction, however, this will be borne by CTU.
This service is expected to be launched next week.
What else CTU is planning to do to ease the commuters discomfort?
Currently, CTU has a fleet of 470 buses, which are operating from its four depots. The fleet comprises standard size buses, semi-low floor non-AC buses, AC buses, low-floor AC buses, low-floor non-AC buses, and mini-AC buses. Out of the total buses, 87 are being used for long routes. It is also planning to buy as many as 200 new buses for long route service, of which 40 will be luxury buses, while remaining will be ordinary and semi-luxury buses.
Better days ahead for commuters!
Image Credits: Chandigarh Transport Undertaking
Coverage: The Indian Express