Pune: The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) has made it easier for passengers to book tickets through UPI, but its use is currently facing problems.

While passengers insist on using the UPI app for tickets, carriers are pressurizing passengers to make cashless transactions instead of cashless, citing various excuses.

Passengers are being given various reasons such as sometimes the QR code is not scanned, and sometimes the WiFi does not have a range. As a result, the rate of cashless transactions in ST is still only 4 to 5 percent.

As a result, passengers are still facing setbacks in the cashless journey started by the ST Corporation with great fanfare.

While cashless transactions are rampant across the country, there is a realistic picture of this being deliberately ignored in the ST. The ST administration believes that most of the passengers of the ST are from rural areas and they are still away from technology. In reality, even commuters in rural areas are largely tech-savvy.

During Diwali, the ST carried a large number of passengers. It also had a high number of young passengers. They requested the conductors to scan the QR code and pay the ticket amount, but the carrier said the machine near them was faulty.

Conductors in several buses said there was no QR scan on them. This caused inconvenience to passengers who did not carry cash or were short of holiday money.

Only 4 percent of usage in a year
On December 7, 2023, the State Transport Corporation started the facility of issuing tickets through the UPI app in all depots in the state. Necessary technical changes were made to the ETI machines that were close to the carriers.

This is where the QR code facility was provided. In the last one year, only 3-4 per cent of the use of tickets has increased, while the percentage of online ticket holders using mobile apps and websites has gone up to 15 to 18 per cent.

The journey to the stage was stalled
St Corporation planned cashless transactions in two phases. In the first phase, the ticket amount was planned to be paid through the UPI app, and in the second phase through debit and credit cards. However, the journey on the first stage of the 'UPI' app has been stalled. These problems need to be resolved before the second phase begins.

There may be a problem with the range of WiFi at some point. However, not all machines have a problem with QR codes. The carriers will be given necessary instructions in this regard. Passengers should use UPI to the maximum extent possible, said Pramod Nehul, Divisional Controller, ST Corporation, Pune.