Chalo app—finally a smart solution to BEST’s problems!

The BEST undertaking often struggled to deal with cash and coins, which the app has resolved to an extent

The new Chalo mobile ticketing application and smart card that has been introduced in Mumbai's BEST undertaking last month is solving problems manifold for the bus transport wing.

The BEST undertaking faced a regular issue of dealing with cash and coins. Earlier they dealt with the issue by giving it through salaries, paying banks or just sending them to various bus stands and giving them back to customers. However, with the digitisation of tickets with the Chalo app and card, BEST is soon looking to tide over the crisis.

"This will help reduce the burden. Over three lakh commuters have already downloaded the app and 12,000-15,000 commuters are being added every single day. Besides the convenience of passengers, this will also ease the working of bus conductors," Lokesh Chandra, BEST general manager said.

As per last year's statistics, coins worth Rs 1.5 crore were collected by the undertaking every single day from ticket sales and other revenue. BEST has 27 depots in Mumbai city and suburbs. Last year, the undertaking had hired consultants to understand what best could be done to dispose of cash and had offered it partially to its employees as a part of salaries.

The Chalo app, working with city governments across the country is an NCMC (National Common Mobility Card)-compliant card and was made operational on Tuesday, in Mumbai and 31 cities across India.

It tracks nearly 15,000 buses in prime cities like Bengaluru, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Surat, Lucknow, Kanpur, Nagpur, Agra-Mathura, Ujjain and Bhopal. The NCMC card has been planned on the lines of London's Oyster card that can be used seamlessly for trains, Metros and all public transport modes.

Rs 1.5cr
Worth of the coins collected by BEST every single day