After getting well-versed with the Chalo app, it’s time to get familiar with the Chalo Card. For Mumbai, this isn’t the first time a smart card system has been implemented. Mumbaikars are already using them on Central and Western Railway for buying tickets through the automatic ticket vending machines (ATVM) for nearly a decade. The GO Mumbai Card from 2005 can be called as a precursor to the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC). It could be used for Railways as well as BEST buses although it didn’t have a bright future. Then came the Trimax RFID cards in 2011 for bus passes which were a new concept as bus ticketing got digital with the electronic ticket machines (ETMs) manufactured by Mumbai-based Powercraft Electronics under the brand-name Balaji. You can read more about the earlier version of BEST’s electronic ticketing system here- Electronic Ticketing Systems: Who got it right and how.
Fast forward to 2021, when Chalo became the new ticketing vendor for BEST, it was yet another step forward towards promoting cashless payments. The Chalo app offers payments through online methods such as UPI, Credit and Debit Cards and Net-banking for ticket purchase. To make it better, BEST launched their Super Saver Plans in Mumbai for an efficient commute. You can read about it in-detail from the previous article where we explored the Chalo App and its features. On 1 January 2022, BEST launched the long-awaited Chalo Card in Mumbai (starting from Colaba & Wadala Depot). This Smart Card works as an eWallet (replacing the earlier Trimax-powered ePurse) which can be bought from the bus conductor. After being a tremendous success in Vijayawada, Nagpur, Jabalpur, Udupi and Mangalore, the Smart Card has finally been launched in Mumbai.
The Chalo card costs ₹70 and can be recharged by adding a minimum balance of ₹10 and then further in multiples of ₹10. As explained by the crew, the Chalo card can be recharged online as well but needs to be activated by the bus conductor. The most satisfying part however, is that your balance does not come with an expiry date. So even if another lockdown is imposed from tomorrow, the amount added in your Chalo Card will remain copacetic. The wallet can be recharged on any day and at any time with the help of a bus conductor. You can even feed your Super Saver Plans in it and use it as a bus pass. There are talks to make this Card functional on the Mumbai Metro in the near future, thereby taking the city closer to a form of the NCMC. But what is the future? Time will tell…. But it’s definitely bright.
Bus conductors in Mumbai found it difficult in the beginning to issue tickets bought through Chalo, but they have now gained confidence as the user base is increasing day by day. From the passengers’ side, the reviews are showing positive growth. As an integrated mobile app that can track buses along with showing the occupancy as well as booking tickets, Chalo has taken ticketing and bus tracking to another level. Once BEST increases its fleet strength, it will help in improving the frequency. In late January, BEST went a step ahead and integrated Chalo with the Maharashtra government’s Universal Travel Pass, thus negating the need to carry a printout.
Please Note: This Article is not Sponsored by Chalo.
Featured Image: Chalo App and Card by Gandharva Purohit
If you are stepping out, make sure you wear a mask, follow COVID-appropriate behavior and keep your hands sanitised. Omicron is here and the situation is quite scary.
today i had purchase chalo card in mumbai so plz suggest how to activate this card and use