Soon, a common app for all Metro lines

Mumbai: Mumbaikars who use multiple metro lines for their daily commute may soon be able to book tickets using a single application as work has been initiated on unifying the ticketing system for various metro lines, Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) managing director Ashwini Bhide told HT.

“The process to unify the mobile app-based ticketing system has begun,” said Bhide.

Currently, tickets for the blue line (Metro 1), red line (Metro 7) and yellow line (Metro 2A) can be booked using the Metro 1 mobile app, while tickets for the aqua line (Metro 3) can be purchased using the MetroConnect3 app. Going forward, tickets for all metro lines would be available on the Metro 1 app in addition to dedicated apps for select corridors, said metro rail officials.

“We are putting our app on the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) platform so that commuters can purchase tickets using their UPI wallets. They will also be able to buy tickets using our own app,” said Bhide.

The Maha Mumbai Metro Operation Corporation Limited (MMMOCL), which operates the Metro 1 app, has taken the lead to integrate the ticketing system, said officials. MMRC will share the application programming interfaces (API) for its ticketing platforms with MMMOCL to enable the integration, they added. APIs enable two software components to communicate with each other using a pre-defined set of protocols.

While the blue, yellow and red lines are integrated with the ONDC and the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) platforms, they will also be integrated with the aqua line in due course.

Commuters welcomed the move, saying it would save them the hassle of downloading and keeping multiple apps on their phones. They also urged metro rail authorities to integrate the ticketing system used in ticket vending machines.

Krishna Rao, who lives in the western suburbs, said he takes the red, blue and aqua lines every day to commute between Magathane and Bandra Kurla Complex.

“Since I rely on QR-code based paper tickets, I need to queue up thrice to buy tickets for three separate lines. Though the queues are shorter than in suburban railway stations, the authorities must find a way to issue a single ticket at the boarding station for a seamless experience,” said Rao.