Bangladesh Railway is going to launch electronic ticketing service to ease the sufferings of passengers.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday unveiled the service at the Railway stall in the Digital Innovation Fair at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Novo Theatre in the capital.
Using Grameenphone's "Mobitaka" service, rail passengers will be able to book or purchase electronic railway tickets 10 days prior to their travel using mobile phones.
To buy an e-ticket a customer will have to press *133# in his mobile phone and enter a menu. The menu will generate windows where the customer has to furnish necessary travel information following instruction.
After the input, the customer will have the option to either book tickets or purchase them instantly, subject to availability of tickets.
An SMS notification with ticket numbers will be sent to the customer which will be required to collect paper tickets from the train station at least an hour prior to departure.
The mobile phone service provider will charge Tk 20 for availing each seat.
Initially the e-ticketing service will be offered for the Intercity trains leaving from Dhaka Kamalapur, Dhaka Cantonment and Chittagong train stations, and gradually all the intercity trains will be incorporated under this service.
Bangladesh Railway (BR) would keep 10 percent of its tickets reserved for e-ticketing while the mobile company would pay for the seats in advance, said BR officials, adding that BR is currently negotiating with other mobile phone companies to expand the service.
On average, about 53.8 million passengers avail railway service in a year. Over 40,000 people travel to and from Dhaka through Kamalapur Railway Station each day.
"SMS ticketing will help passengers spare the hassle of coming all the way to the station during working hours and waiting in long queues," BR Director General Md Belayet Hossain noted.
The service will also help curb the malpractice of touting train tickets," he added.