Himachal Pradesh to be first to start bus ticketing through UPI, credit card: Dy CM

Tribune News Service

Shimla, January 18

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri today said that Himachal would soon become the first state in the country to provide ticketing facility through debit and credit cards, UPI, QR codes and the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) to passengers in government buses.

Agnihotri, while addressing mediapersons here, said that an Integrated Ticketing Management System was under development. He shared information about important decisions taken at the 155th meeting of the Board of Directors of the Himachal Pradesh Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) here. He also holds the charge of the Transport Department.

He said that with the launch of the ticketing facility, people could use the cashless payment mode in metro trains, railway stations, airports and in other states for commuting. He added, “In line with the government’s decision to promote green energy, diesel-run buses will be replaced with electric buses in a phased manner. The HRTC proposes to purchase 1,932 electric buses over the next four years with 297 likley to be added to its fleet in 2024-25.”

Agnihotri said that complete transparency would be ensured in the purchase of buses through a global tender every year. He formally launched the Centralised Inventory Management System (CIMS) for effective monitoring and control of inventory on a daily basis at the head office and the block level. “Under the CIMS, a unit in need of a spare part can place online orders to other units. This way the new system will stop local procurement effectively and also save public money,” he added.

He said that at present, the CIMS was being run on a trial basis at the divisional workshops at Tara Devi and Jassur and the regional workshops at Shimla (local), Una and Dharamsala. He also released an information booklet of the Pratham Darshan service and directed the HRTC to rebrand buses being run under it. The online facility for issuing bus passes would be started soon for students and other people, he added.

Agnihotri said that the HRTC had released Rs 11.43 crore to the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board for setting up electric charging stations at 11 places at Shimla (local), Hamirpur and Nadaun. He also directed the HRTC to lay more emphasis on publicity so that all information and services related to the corporation were available online.

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