In a bid to contain the spread of the coronavirus, the BEST has partnered with PhonePe to provide contactless ticketing with over 10,000 conductors assigned a unique QR code.
As per a report by Mid-day, the commuters who use the services regularly will now be able to pay the fare through UPI based QR codes on some major routes without fretting about carrying cash or exact change for their fare.
In order to digitally pay the fare, the commuter has to ask for the fare amount from their pick-up location to their destination from the conductors, scan the QR code using any UPI enabled payment app, enter the amount and UPI PIN to make the payment directly from their bank accounts.
Meanwhile, the number of BEST passengers has recently crossed 16,00,000. Amidst the coronavirus-induced lockdown, BEST has been utilizing 3,200 to 3,450 out of 3,500 of its fleet on the road every day. Many of these vehicles have frequent breakdowns due to their condition. Therefore, out of 3,500 buses owned by BEST, 898 buses have reached a deplorable condition and hence, are to be scrapped in phases by March 2021.
Due to lack of funds, no decision has been taken yet to replace these buses. On the other hand, the arrival of some of the 1,200 trains on lease has been delayed for various reasons. Out of 1,227 mini air-conditioned buses, 462 buses have arrived in BEST's fleet. The arrival of the remaining 765 mini air-conditioned buses is being delayed.
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