Commuters of Chennai Metro can get their tickets through WhatsApp starting today, May 17, 2023. Two months after launching the National Common Mobility Cards (NCMC), Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) will start issuing WhatsApp based e-tickets.
According to CMRL officials, a WhatsApp number will be displayed in stations to which commuters can send a message. Subsequently, it will start generating the options for stations of origin and destination and finally take the commuter to payment options. Be it debit or credit cards or Google Pay, multiple options will be available to make the payment, an official said.
When Metro train services first began, tokens and smartcards were main modes of tickets. While commuters mostly went with tokens initially, a majority have switched over to smart cards as rideship took an upturn. For instance, of the 66.85 lakh commuters in April, 3.5 lakh bought tokens while 39.8 lakh used smartcards. It is to be noted that CMRL also launched a QR code ticketing system recently, and last month, 23.3 lakh passengers utilised the option.
“Apart from the QR code tickets, these WhatsApp based e-tickets may help one time travellers in particular or those heading to catch a train or flight, since they don’t have to stand in queues to buy a ticket. Even regular commuters who don’t have the time to recharge their cards can quickly purchase a WhatsApp ticket and take a ride,” the official added.
