GO Mumbai smart card

In a move to aid commuter convenience, and to mitigate its cash handling pains, Mumbai’s public transport operator, BEST, unveiled a new alternative method of paying bus fares. The project is supported by Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) and ICICI Bank and is implemented by a consortium of companies led by A Little World Pvt Ltd.

From November 19, 2004, Route Special-8 plying from Churchgate to World Trade Centre (both in South Mumbai) has started accepting contact-less smart cards for automatic fare collection in BEST buses. The multi-application card system will be called “GO Mumbai”. This is for a pilot of 500 cards. Phase 1 of the system will cover about 760 buses by mid 2005.

ICICI Bank is the settlement bank for BEST providing automated banking systems and on-line load facilities from designated accounts.

Fare Collection Devices will be installed at the entry and exit doors of BEST buses. The cardholder will present the GO card to this device at the start of the journey by touching it to the device or bringing it within a few centimeters of the device. The card can even be kept in the wallet and the wallet can be scanned by the device. The proximity between the card and the device is to be maintained for less than half a second.

The principal technology provider for the system is ERG Transit Systems, which have done similar projects in Singapore and HongKong and in US, Europe and Australia. The system will reduce the load on overworked conductors, and provide BEST greater flexibility in fare structuring in the future.

HPCL is one of the partners of the card programme and it aims to provide value added services to its gas customers through this smart card. It would be the first oil company to offer the card to its LPG consumers by incorporating Subscription Voucher (SV/TV/CTA) details in a secure digitised media using this Smart Card. The card would be issued free of cost to all HP Gas consumers desirous of joining the card programme in a phased manner.

An HP gas consumer can even book his LPG refill cylinder and pay for it through the card. They can purchase fuel for their vehicle at HPCL retail outlets without any transaction fees and also use the card for all the above applications and for various loyalty programmes.

More applications will be introduced on the cards in a phased manner. The smart card payment system is part of a national initiative on Multi-application smart cards being implemented by the ZERO-Mass Industry Consortium with support from the ministry of communications and information technology and Reserve Bank of India. IDRBT-Hyderabad, a technology arm of the RBI and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-Mumbai) are R&D partners in the multi-application smart card payment system project.