Introduce online payment methods to recharge Singara Chennai card: CMRL passengers

CHENNAI: While the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) is actively promoting the National Common Mobility Card/Singara Chennai card, the recharge for the card has still been kept only through cash.

The commuters buying the card say that it is high time for CMRL to allow other means of payment/recharge facilities to the card as many passengers have begun to purchase NCMC.

Speaking to DT NEXT, Renuka, a regular passenger said, "I purchased the Singara Chennai card a few months ago and every time I had to recharge it, I will have to do it only at the ticket counters of the Metro station."

"Importantly, not many passengers carry cash, because of several online payments currently available and CMRL itself promoting the same. Hence, it is imperative that online modes of payments are allowed to recharge the Singara Chennai card," added the passenger.

Additionally, Latha Rajesh, another passenger who bought the Singara Chennai card at Egmore Metro station stated that she was forced to recharge the card only through cash.

Meanwhile, CMRL as a step in making travel hassle-free for passengers, introduced additional payment options for parking facilities available with the stations and introduction of single QR family tickets for group travellers.

Through this recent facility, passengers can use their Singara Chennai card and store value pass (SVP) QR in CMRL mobile application, while using the parking facility at the stations.

On the other hand, with CMRL doing away with paper tickets since early January, passengers claim that they are finding it difficult to scan the ticket received on Whatsapp.

"Scanning the ticket received on Whatsapp is strenuous as most of the time the tickets do not get scanned. Due to this, the crowd gathers at the exit gate, sparking arguments between the station staff and passengers, " said a regular Metro Rail commuter.