Travel across city with 1 ticket

By December 2011 MMRDA starts process to implement integrated ticketing system which will benefit 1.25 cr commuters.

Come December 2011, a single ticket may allow you to travel on a train, bus, Monorail and Metro anywhere in the city.

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The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority will be putting in place its ambitious plan of an integrated ticketing system by the end of next year. The system will give passengers access to multiple modes of transportation in the city with a single ticket.

As per MMRDA's estimates, about 1.25 crore people use public transport in the city every day. Of this, 70 lakh use suburban rail while 55 lakh use buses. There are two additional public transportation systems in the form of the Metro and Monorail, which are likely to be operational by 2011.

Metropolitan commissioner Ratnakar Gaikwad said: “Integrated ticketing system is a step in the right direction, as it will not only strengthen the existing systems, but will also go a long way in providing the much-needed accessibility across transportation systems.”

The MMRDA has invited proposals from internationally reputed consulting firms for technical assistance in preparing the functional specifications for integrated ticketing in the MMR. The consultants will draft the technical specifications and MMRDA will then float the tenders for the project in mid-2011.

Integrated ticketing systems are implemented globally. Some of the largest and best known integrated ticketing systems are in Hong Kong and Seoul. There are presently over 50 transit smart card systems in major cities such as Paris, London, Berlin, Rome, Sydney, Moscow, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Singapore.

In the recent past, the BEST had introduced the Go Mumbai smart card, which had integrated with Central and Western Railways for the benefit of commuters.