Mumbai train tickets and passes will cost 5% less if you buy them through your mobile

Commuters travelling on Mumbai’s suburban rail network will soon get 5% discount on train tickets they buy using the railways’ phone app.

The railways are trying to encourage more and more commuters to use mobile ticketing, which would reduce long queues at the city’s railway stations.

“A commuter buying a seasonal pass of Rs 1,000 via the mobile app will get Rs 50 off,” said a railway official, who did not wish to be named. “The app is being tested with the discount feature. It may be available to the public tentatively in one month’s time.”

Mobile ticketing was introduced first in December 2014, but it has not yet gained much popularity with commuters. On an average, the Central Railway sells around 10 lakh tickets daily, of which only 13,000 are mobile tickets; the Western Railway sells close to 9 lakh tickets every day, of which only 7,500 are mobile tickets.

Earlier, when Automatic Ticketing Vending Machines (ATVMs) were introduced, the railways had offered a 5% discount to make it popular. Later, this discount was reduced to 3%.