Haryana Roadways to roll out UPI ticket payments by October 25

After successful trials, Haryana will allow passengers to pay bus fares via UPI on all 24 depots, easing cash woes and boosting revenue transparency.

Passengers travelling on Haryana Roadways buses, including those commuting intercity from Gurugram and the remaining 22 districts, will soon be able to pay their fares using online payment methods, officials of the Department of State Transport (DST) said on Sunday.

The new POS-based system will let commuters scan QR codes to pay fares, ending cash dependence and reducing disputes with conductors. (HT Archive)

The facility to accept ticket fares through the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is likely to come into force by October 25 across all 24 depots, following a successful trial run ahead of Diwali, according to officials privy to the matter.

The move to digitise the existing ticketing machines aims to ease the burden on both commuters and conductors by eliminating the need for cash transactions and change. Officials said the new UPI feature in the electronic ticketing or point-of-sale (POS) machines is also expected to boost state transport’s revenue by reducing losses from unaccounted cash transactions.

Chart. (Hindustan Times.)

Passengers will be able to make payments by scanning QR codes or through integrated payment gateways, a senior transport official said. “We have been receiving complaints about some passengers exchanging heated arguments with ticket collectors. Under the directions of Haryana transport minister Anil Vij, the app-based ticketing system would be introduced as part of the ongoing digitisation plan for Haryana Roadways,” the official, requesting anonymity, said.

According to sources in the DST, the POS machine feature has been developed by a private firm and successfully tested internally. “A trial run at two depots will be conducted ahead of Diwali. Based on its outcome, phase two of the digitisation plan would be rolled out by October 25 to facilitate commuters paying online instantly inside a moving bus,” the official said.

Another official added that the upgraded e-ticketing machines, introduced last year, would now directly credit the fare to the revenue account of the respective depot operating the route. Earlier, conductors had refused to accept online payments because the money was transferred to their personal accounts, creating tax-related issues. Until now, only senior citizens’ concession cards could be scanned through the POS machines.