NWKRTC launched a travel cards scheme to enable regular commuters opt for cashless travel in Belagavi on Tuesday.
Member of Legislative Assembly Abhay Patil inaugurated the scheme by symbolically distributing cards to some beneficiaries. He said that among the objectives of the Smart City project is steps to encourage mass transportation.
“On the one hand, we are creating infrastructure, including roads, bus bays and modern bus stations. On the other, we will promote intangible infrastructure such as synchronisation of various mass transport facilities,’’ he said.
Divisional Controller P.Y. Naik said that the purpose is to encourage cashless transaction in the Belagavi Division of NWKRTC. Passengers will be encouraged to utilise travel cards, which primarily solves the issue of loose change.
It will also save the conductor’s time. This will facilitate faster travel in Belagavi that is aspiring to be a Smart City, he said. He pointed out that this is the first time that NWKRTC is launching travel cards for city commuting.
The cards are based on Radio Frequency Identification Technology (RFID) and are available on specific intra-city routes such as Anagol, Vadagaon and Yallur. Commuters on these scheduled routes who pay the bus conductor more than ₹250 will receive a 10% travel credit bonus.
Chief Personnel Manager and Overseeing Officer of Belagavi Division Vijayashree Naragund, Divisional Traffic Officer Khemsing Lamanai, System Manager M.B. Kapali, Divisional Mechanical Engineer D. Radhakrishna, Labour and Welfare Officer N. Satyanarayana were present.
