BMTC Awards Contract for Smart Ticketing System to Chalo Mobility Startup

Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation Awards Contract to Chalo for Smart Electronic Ticketing Machines

Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has awarded a contract to Chalo, a Mumbai-based mobility startup, to supply and maintain smart electronic ticketing machines (ETMs) and a comprehensive digital ticketing solution. The contract, valued at Rs 40 crore for five years, will see Chalo initially supply approximately 11,000 smart ETMs along with the required ticketing software and backend systems.

The contract marks a significant development in BMTC's efforts to modernize its ticketing system. Chalo will be responsible for operating and maintaining the system, including server infrastructure, software updates, and servicing of the ticketing machines during the contract period. The contract period will be four years from the date of system go-live, with an option for BMTC to extend it by another year at the same rental price.

As part of the project, a mobile ticketing platform for Android and iOS will be developed, allowing passengers to buy digital tickets and passes through a mobile application. The system will support QR code validation as well as smart card and National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) transactions, enabling interoperability with systems used by Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL).

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The new devices will allow conductors to issue tickets digitally and accept multiple payment modes, including UPI, QR code-based payments, debit and credit cards, while also recording cash transactions. The machines will be capable of storing thousands of ticket records and route data and will generate printed tickets through integrated thermal printers.

The system will be supported by a centralized ticketing platform that will enable BMTC to monitor transactions, generate reports, and share data with other transport systems through application programming interfaces (APIs). The solution will also integrate with BMTC's Automatic Vehicle Location System and other internal IT applications, while ticketing data will be hosted on a cloud-based infrastructure to enable real-time monitoring and analytics.

BMTC is one of the country's largest urban bus transport operators, with a fleet of more than 6,800 buses and around 60,000 trips operated daily. On average, more than 45 lakh passengers use its services every day. The corporation was among the first in India to replace manual ticket punching with handheld electronic ticketing machines in 2006.

The contract is expected to improve the efficiency and convenience of ticketing for BMTC's passengers and will be a significant step towards modernizing the corporation's ticketing system.

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