DMRC app gaining ground, registers 175,000 downloads in less than 2 weeks

The app was launched on June 30 and allows commuters to purchase mobile QR tickets that can be scanned to enter Delhi metro stations

Delhi Metro's "DMRC Travel" application has become a hit among commuters as the app has seen more than 175,000 downloads till Wednesday, July 12, The Times of India (ToI) has reported. The app was launched on June 30. The app allows commuters to purchase mobile QR tickets that can be scanned to enter Delhi metro stations.

Even as the app's adoption is exciting, the percentage of QR paper tickets remains high. However, the DMRC expects that more people will switch to mobile tickets as awareness about it increases.

Apart from QR-based paper tokens, Delhi metro commuters use smart cards and coin-shaped plastic tokens for single journeys. The DMRC is in the process of gradually phasing out tokens and shifting to paper-based QR tickets first and then moving on to mobile app-based ticketing, the ToI report said.

According to the DMRC data cited in the report, a total of 73,544 QR tickets were sold from July 1 to 11. This was when 677,000 average daily passengers travelled on a single journey ticket in the Delhi Metro. Out of this, only about 1 per cent of tickets sold were through mobile-based QR tickets.

For single journeys, 81.27 per cent of commuters chose paper-based tickets and 17.75 per cent used tokens.

Speaking on the matter, a DMRC official told the newspaper, "Paper tickets are like a transitory step and likely to go significantly down as more people get familiar with mobile ticket mechanism in the coming months."

While DMRC will completely phase out tokens, paper-based QR tickets will continue to be sold to cater to commuters who do not carry a smartphone, the ToI report said.

The "DMRC Travel" app supports several types of payment methods, which include UPI, credit and debit cards, and wallets. It allows passengers to choose their preferred payment option to buy tickets.