What's worse than a packed metro station? Probably standing in a queue, waiting for your turn to book a ticket. But it seems that the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has come up with a solution.
What
- The DMRC has taken a significant step by expanding its ticketing service through WhatsApp to include all metro lines in the Delhi-NCR area starting on Thursday, October 5.
- This convenient service was initially introduced for passengers traveling on the Airport Express Line back in May.
- Due to the overwhelmingly positive response, DMRC decided to extend it to other metro lines, including the Gurugram Rapid Metro.
- The service is being rolled out in collaboration between Meta and its authorized partner, Pelocal Fintech Pvt Ltd.
WhatsApp is the preferred messaging platform for the majority of Indians, and buying a metro ticket will now be as easy as messaging a friend or family member. We are confident that this integration will encourage more commuters to choose the Delhi metro as their preferred mode of travel
- Vikas Kumar, the Managing Director of DMRC
Praising the decision
The decision has received a lot of positive comments from commuters who believe it can help reduce travel time, calling it a "game changer." Take a look:
How to book
Now, here's the main question: How can you book tickets using WhatsApp? Is it as seamless as it appears? Here's a guide:
- Send a message with the text "Hi" to +91 9650855800. Alternatively, you can scan the provided QR code at any metro station.
- Select your preferred language.
Tap on the "Buy Ticket" button.
You will be redirected to the DMRC's Pelocal portal where you can:
- Enter your source and destination stations.
- Select the number of tickets you need.
- Once you've completed these steps, review your journey details and proceed with payment, just as we did.
- Upon successful payment, you will receive a QR-based ticket on WhatsApp.
Keep in mind
However, there are a few important things to note:
- You can book up to a maximum of 6 QR tickets in a single transaction.
- Tickets can be booked between 6 am to 9 pm for all lines and from 4 am to 11 pm for the Airport Line (Orange Line).
- Ticket cancellations are not allowed through WhatsApp Ticketing.
- A marginal convenience fee will be applied to transactions made via credit/debit card, while no convenience fee will be charged for UPI-based transactions.