Several commuters who were used to standing in queue to get metro rail tickets were surprised on Wednesday when authorities announced they can just WhatsApp a "Hi" to '8300086000' to get their tickets instantly.
No app is required for this.
Ryan Richard and his friends who had come to the Thirumangalam Metro Station to travel to another part of the city were excited to try the new feature.
Ryan Richard got four QR tickets on WhatsApp in a minute.
"I found it interesting and easy to book my tickets. Earlier, I used to stand in the queue"" said Ryan. His friend Awinthika Santhanam said, "it's less time-consuming and UPI has made transactions a lot easier now".
Amartya Dash who travels on metro frequently added, "I can book it from home now or even on the move while travelling".
A "hi" sent to the designated WhatsApp number instantly activates a chatbot asking for the starting and destination stations and number of tickets. After payment via UPI, QR tickets are instantly delivered on WhatsApp which can be used within 24 hours.
Besides over the counter tickets, Chennai Metro Rail also has an all and QR based online booking services. MA Siddiquie, MD, Chennai Metro Rail told NDTV "It's safe, and we are trying to give another easier option for commuters to buy tickets as everyone is on WhatsApp. Standing in queue is the least preferred option".
"Anyone even first time users can travel this way, no purchase of metro card is required," he said.
Around 2.5 lakh people in Chennai travel on metro every day. The phase two work is now underway, expanding the network to south Chennai. It's also working on a unified 'Singara Chennai card' that would be accepted for metro, local trains and bus services, similar to the Oyster card in London.
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