Indian Railways had initially taken the initiative on a pilot basis to encourage passengers for cashless payment. Now, the decision has been extended till June 13, 2019, officials said. (File)
Passengers can use their Unified Payments Interface (UPI) gateways like BHIM, to pay for railway tickets at the reservation counters in Pune division. Also, while making the payment, they can avail of a discount of five per cent on the ticket fare.
Indian Railways had initially taken the initiative on a pilot basis to encourage passengers for cashless payment. Now, the decision has been extended till June 13, 2019, officials said.
According to an official, the offer is applicable only while booking tickets at the counters, and not for online tickets.
“In a move to encourage cashless payment and reducing the risk of cash handling at ticket counters, the Railways has begun to introduce Point of Sale (POS) machines at major stations under the Pune railway division, to enable the payment through debit/credit cards since December 2016 after demonetisation,” said a senior commercial officer deputed at Pune division office.
As per the rules, the discount can only be availed if the total fare amount is Rs 100. A maximum discount of Rs 50 can be availed on one ticket.
“During the payment through BHIM, passengers who have signed up for UPI payments with their banks will get 20-digit alphanumeric virtual payment address (VPA). The 5 per cent discount for payment through BHIM app was introduced in March 2018, now the ministry has decided to extend the discount period for the benefit of passengers,” said the officer.