By Apurva Bhatt

 If all goes by the plan, than commuters will soon be able to do away with printouts for suburban tickets bought through the mobile application, if trials for such a feature are successful in Chennai over the next few months.

As of now, commuters who have downloaded the mobile application have to take a printout at automated ticket vending machines (ATVM). The SMS-based tickets that commuters receive on their mobile phones will have a feature to block these from being forwarded. Besides, the app will incorporate radio frequency identification (RFID) to allow authentication of tickets through the hand-held devices. Mobile nu8m8bers can be used as user ID.

The trials will be conducted shortly on the 26km-long section from Chennai to Tambaram stations for three months. The app will be first available for cellphones that run on Android and Windows. For iPhone, it will be introduced later. A user can book unreserved tickets for second-class and first-class tavel on long-distance trains as well. One can also book platform tickets with the app.

 Railway minister Suresh Prabhu had inaugurated the mobile ticketing system at Dadar station in December. The response, though, has been tepid on both Central Railway and Western Railway, as on an average, only 400 to 500 people use the app per day. 

A CR official said, "One of the major drawbacks of mobile ticketing is that commuters have to visit ATVMs to get printouts. It becomes unattractive as similar printouts can be taken with smart cards. The only option to popularize this mode of ticketing is to upgrade the technology that will allow people to travel with mobile tickets without going through the hassle of taking printouts."