Tap on tab, report metro rail problem

CHENNAI: Regular metro rail riders mostly use the transit system because its technology makes it fast and efficient. They’re likely to find the practice of dropping a handwritten complaint in a box and waiting interminably for a response so passé.


Trust Chennai Metro Rail Ltd (CMRL) to be on the job. The builder-operator of the system plans to offer users a mobile app — via a tablet placed in metro stations — that will allow officials to respond to complaints and take action to fix the problem in no time. The app will also help the firm automate ticket sales and revenue data.

CMRL has floated a tender to appoint a company to develop the app and software for the purpose. An official said the app will record a complaint and mark it to the department concerned in CMRL for immediate action and response.

“Complaints are now sent to the operations department where staff sort them out and forward them to the department that has to take action,” the official said. “It takes one week to 10 days to initiate action. This annoys commuters.”

With the app, all a commuter needs to do is walk up to the station controller and request to file a complaint. The controller will hand the commuter a tab to quickly enter the complaint and contact information. The controller will mark the complaint to the department concerned, and the commuter will receive a heads-up as soon as action is taken.

A commuter may now make a handwritten complaint and hand it over to the station controller, or register the matter on the CMRL mobile app. But this system has been ineffective because most complaints are vague or incomplete, officials said.

“Most complaints do not have the the complainant’s contact number for us to clarify doubts,” the official said. “This makes it difficult for us to act on a complaint.”

“The app will have features that allow us to automate ticket sales and revenue generation at each station on a daily basis,” he said. “We are also looking to develop and incorporate software into the system so station controller can enter details that can the finance department of CMRL can access.”

Station controllers now submit handwritten revenue reports to CMRL. Staff compare and verify this data with automatic fare collection every day to calculate daily revenue. “The technology will save time and leave no room for manual error,” another official said.