Coupons score over ATVMs for rail commuters

While both Central and Western Railway have seen a phenomenal rise in sales of coupons, other initiatives such as ATVMs haven't really clicked, say officials

It seems that the railway authorities' latest initiatives to reduce serpentine queues at ticketing counters have not really clicked with commuters, who prefer to purchase and use the older coupons instead. Figures show that earnings from coupons sold for use in Coupon Validating Machines (CVMs) on the Central line were Rs 40.98 crore in 2009-10, which increased to Rs 71.83 crore in 2010-11. Similarly, CVM earnings on the Western line have seen an increase from Rs 32.88 crore in 2009-10 to Rs 45.04 crore last fiscal. Authorities attribute the earnings' increase to the simplicity of the process.u00a0


No takers: Officials are hopeful that ATVM usage will increase after
the initial lull, like it did for coupons. File Pic

A senior official said that on a normal workday, nearly 4,500 booklets of CVM coupons are sold and the number nearly doubles on holidays. A K Singh, PRO, Central Railway, said, "The passengers feel that the CVM coupons are convenient and easy to use. The awareness regarding CVM machines has increased and we have also carried out a few campaigns on the same. Passengers prefer to use these machines instead of standing in long queues."u00a0

However, the increase in sales in CVM earnings has proved to be bittersweet for authorities thanks to new initiatives like the Automatic Ticket Vending Machines (ATVMs) having very few takers. Commenting on the failure of ATVMs, a Central Railway official said, "Passengers claim that the ATVMs are difficult to use and that more money is often deducted from their cards than it should. Although the ATVMs are easy to use, passengers are reluctant to familiarise themselves with them. They prefer standing in queues for hours or buying coupons to using the machine. It may, however, be only a matter of time before usage of ATVMs picks up as coupons also took a long time to be widely used."

Commuters' take
Chetna Shah, who often travels by both the Central and Western lines, said that coupons have come in very handy for her and are more convenient than ATVMs, "I always use booklets as I find them easy and convenient. I travel by the Central and Western lines and it is easier for me to use the coupons as the CVMs are placed everywhere, unlike the ATVM machines." And, in an attempt to make purchasing tickets easier for passengers, railway authorities have decided to install CVMs on skywalks as well. "This initiative will make buying tickets easier and also encourage people to use the skywalks," said an official.

Rs 19.6 lakh Daily earnings from CVMs for the Central Railway

Rs 14 lakh Daily earnings from CVMs for Western Railway

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