Fadnavis launches extended version of mobile ticketing app

The CM was the chief guest at the event. (Kevin DSouza)

Mobile ticketing will change the way Mumbai travels, said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday while speaking at the fourth anniversary celebrations of Mumbai Metro One. “We are integrating all modes of transport in the city. Once we start water transport post monsoon, we can integrate that as well. With mobile ticketing, once commuters download the app, they can travel anywhere and at any time. It will change the way the city travels,” Fadnavis said at the event at Versova Metro station.

The chief minister also launched the extended version of mobile ticketing app ‘Skiiip Q’, which will help commuters generate ticket using a QR code on the phone and avoid queues for tickets at Metro stations. “While we had earlier started Skiiip Q for allowing commuters to purchase single and return journey tickets, we have now extended it to also include monthly and store value passes,” said a senior MMOPL official.

Commuters can book their journey through the app, which will generate a QR code and that can be scanned at the Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) gates to enter the Metro station. According to MMOPL, Mumbai Metro One is the first Metro corridor in the country to have a mobile ticketing service. “It will be the first in India and very few Metros in the world have it,” said Abhay Kumar Mishra, the CEO, MMOPL.

The chief minister also released a coffee table book showcasing the four year journey of Mumbai Metro and inaugurated the ‘Majhi Metro Art’ Train of award-winning paintings, poems and photographs. “For a city like Mumbai, this has become a mobile art gallery,” he said.

Speaking at the programme, he also stressed on the need for the Metro in the city. “Metro has changed the entire space of mobility in Mumbai. Public transport is necessary for the development of a city. The suburban railway has been serving people for the last 60-70 years but now, Mumbai needs the service of such modes like the Metro, which is fast, efficient and green. When you travel by Metro, you do not need a secondary transport service as it has stations every one to two kilometres. It runs on electricity and so, it is a clean transport. The underground Metro 3 will bring down as much pollution as planting three crores trees. Around 250 kms of Metro corridors are being built, but the pioneer will always be the pioneer. This Metro will guide the other Metros,” he added.

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