Soon, motorists in Mumbai will be able to pay toll too with transport smart card

Maharashtra chief minister wants cards to be ready by December, but officials say roping in Railways is a huge challenge

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), which is implementing an integrated ticketing system (ITS) for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, is exploring the possibility of including toll payments in the smart card.

Mumbai’s transport authorities are planning to include toll payments in the yet-to-be-launched transport card, which can help reduce long waiting at the city’s entry/exit points. (HT File)

The MMRDA has been working on developing a single card that commuters can use to purchase tickets for the Metro, monorail, suburban trains, BEST buses, as well as pay other fares related to public transport.

“We are thinking of adding toll payments to the common card. We have five entry points in the city and one toll road. We will approach the connected agencies once we finalise the model for the integrated ticket,” said a senior bureaucrat who did not wish to be named.

The five entry points in the city where toll has to be paid are Dahisar, Mulund, Vashi, Airoli and LBS Marg (Mulund). Besides these, motorists have to pay toll to use the 5.6km Bandra-Worli sea link.

Last month, officials from the MMRDA, the Railways and the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking, visited London to study the metropolis’ ticketing model (the Oyster card).

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has asked the MMRDA to implement the common card for all modes of public transport by December. The plan for a common card has been on the horizon for a long while, but nothing has materialised so far.

However, senior MMRDA officials who recently visited London said the system that has to be implemented for a smart card is complex. “A huge challenge is to get the Railways on board. In most countries, there is a single government body that deals with transportation, but here we have multiple agencies. So it is a challenge, but we are trying to implement it soon,” an official said.