Railways launches OTP-based refund for tickets booked via authorised agents

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In a bid to bring in transparency in ticket bookings done through authorised railway agents, the IRCTC has introduced an OTP-based system which will allow passengers to cancel their tickets and get refunds using the password provided by the railway subsidiary.

A statement issued by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) said this system will be applicable only to the e-tickets booked through its authorised agents.

"OTP-based refund process will ensure more transparency in the system to the advantage of the customer. It is a user-friendly facility wherein passenger will come to know about the exact refund amount received by agent on his behalf against cancelled ticket or fully waitlisted ticket," the statement said.

Under the new system, whenever a customer cancels a ticket or a fully waitlisted ticket booked through an authorised IRCTC agent, an SMS with a one-time password (OTP) and the amount to be refunded will be sent on the passenger's mobile number.

The customer will be required to share the OTP with the agent who booked the ticket for getting the refund.

"Oftentimes it happens that the agent books the tickets using his number and the cancellation details are thus sent to him. Passengers are duped when agents do not pass on the entire refund amount to them in case of cancellations," an IRCTC official said, explaining the process.

"Now, since the refund will be OTP-based, all that the passenger has to do is to ensure that he provides his number at the time of booking," he said.

According to the official, around 27 per cent of all tickets are booked through authorised agents everyday. Of this, 20 per cent tickets are cancelled daily.

The objective of the system is to streamline the cancellation refund process further so that the cancellation amount is refunded timely to the customer by the agents, the IRCTC said.