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Published : 18 Dec 2024, 02:41 AM
The Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited, or DMTCL, is going to introduce the QR code system as an alternative to tickets as the load of passengers surged in the metro rail.
Mohammad Abdur Rouf, managing director of the company, said the process of calling tenders to launch the system will start on Wednesday.
The DMTCL is planning to use QR codes and cards in two separate ways.
In one method, passengers will come to the station and travel by scanning the card.
The second one can be through mobile; passengers will scan the QR code at the station.
The stations may have a separate gate for QR codes, which is also being discussed, the MD said.
The DMTCL made a “special announcement” in this regard on its verified Facebook page on Tuesday.
"It is taking more time to issue 'single journey' tickets at important metro stations due to an increase in passengers," it said.
"Besides, temporary inconvenience has been caused due to non-submission of single journey tickets in certain slots and loss of functionality of several tickets due to logical reasons.
“Single journey tickets are being collected quickly to solve this problem. Alternatively, travel arrangements are being made through QR codes."
"The situation is expected to improve by the end of December," the announcement read.
The DMTCL authorities are offering sincere apologies to passengers for the inconvenience caused to them. The passengers are requested to come to the station with sufficient time in hand."
Two types of tickets are issued for metro rail passengers in Dhaka.
One is the MRT pass or rapid pass, and the other is the single-trip ticket.
After purchasing a passenger rapid pass, it can be used until the balance on it runs out. Passengers can also keep the card with them.
Passengers travelling by themselves for a single trip have to buy a ticket immediately before their departure from the station and travel using it.
The ticket must then be returned to the metro rail system when they reach their destination.
The metro rail authority said that 248,000 single-trip tickets were issued when the rail service first launched.
At a press conference on Oct 14, Rouf said that 13,000 of these single-trip tickets were destroyed. Passengers took about 200,000 tickets with them at different times. The metro rail authority issued a notice requesting passengers to return the cards. Some tickets were returned under the initiative.
In total, metro authorities now have about 40,000 single-trip tickets available.
