BRTS replaces paper tickets with tokens

Manmeet Singh Gill

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, April 29

The metro bus service under the Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) has come up with environment-friendly smart tokens, replacing paper tickets which passengers had been throwing hither and thither.

Though dustbins were placed to keep the premises clean, it had not helped much. The new plastic tokens, the size of a Rs 10 coin, are issued to passengers which they have to scan to get entry to the bus station. After completion of the journey, the same coin has to be inserted into the machine to get out of the bus stand.

Punjab Bus Metro Society CEO Inderjit Singh Chawla said tokens are not only convenient, but also environment friendly as these are reusable and will help in saving paper. “We are continuously improving te services after learning about the passengers’ problems,” he said.

As the free-travel trial period ended on Sunday, now passengers have to pay for the services. The ridership on buses has certainly gone down. A ticket issuer said, “It was felt more on Sunday, but there was not much difference today as students and employee sections came as usual.” He said that with tokens, now passengers have to spend less time at ticket counters as now printing of the ticket is not required.