MMRDA plans automated fare collection system for monorail
With the citys first Monorail line the 19.54-km Wadala-Jacob Circle-Chembur route on track, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority is now planning to set up an automated fare collection system.
Under this system, commuters can swipe a smart card or token to get on the station and on the monorail, thus eliminating the need for ticket checkers.
The automated fare collection system will be based on the Mifare software system, so commuters will be able to buy pre-paid tickets and subsequently use them through electronic systems to get access to or from the transport mode.
To facilitate seamless travel between the monorail and metro, this system will also be implemented with the 146.5 km metro project.
The Scomi Engineering and L&T consortium and Spanish firm Indra have bagged the contract to set up the automated fare collection system on all monorail stations of the Phase-I between Chembur to Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk.
‘The system will facilitate a well integrated public transport system in the future. It will offer a simple integrated fare structure across various modes of transport be it railways, bus or metro trains,’ said Metropolitan Commissioner Ratnakar Gaikwad.
On May 1, the MMRDA the planning authority for the metro and monorail projects announced its plan for an integrated ticketing system, which will allow commuters to use the same ticket on different transport systems.
Talks are on with the Cubic Transportation System, an international player in integrated ticketing services. If implemented, it will pave the way for an effective transport network, where the same ticket can be used to commute in a bus or by train.