Get Rs 10 cashback on BMTC's Vajra digital daily pass

People travelling by the BMTC's air-conditioned (Vajra) buses will get a cashback of Rs 10 if they buy digital daily passes through the payment gateway, PhonePe.

The digital pass platform, Namma Pass (https://nammapass.series-5.com), will go live on Monday. Series 5 Labs, a Bengaluru-based startup working on the digital ticketing system, is becoming popular among travellers after a trial on May 28.

"Many people are already trying to buy passes as our website is getting as many as 500 hits per day. We will start with 100 passes on Monday and increase the number in the coming days based on the demand," said Saro Chandra Bhooshan, the CEO of the startup, which is incubated in the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.

The launch offer by PhonePe is aimed at attracting more passengers to the digital passes, besides boosting its wallet platform. Digital passes are the first in a line of efforts by the BMTC to shift to 100% cashless transactions in the coming days.

"A passenger can scan the QR code from posters inside the bus and pay through PhonePe to get Rs 10 as cashback on the daily pass. The cashback will be limited to the first pass per person. The company will decide how many days the offer will continue," a BMTC official said.

Selfie pass

Bhooshan said he had proposed a new platform where the pass would be entirely digital and accompanied by the passenger's selfie. "We are yet to get access to the application programming interface (API) of the BMTC. Once the intelligent transport system and ticketing system are integrated, we will move to the second phase of digitisation," he added.

The BMTC has shown interest in expediting the project. "There is a proactive involvement and we hope to integrate the Namma Pass platform with the BMTC app within the next two months," he said.

Vision: Lower fare, revenue through ads By using cloud-based technology, the BMTC wants to monetise its physical and virtual spaces. "The revenue generated from the advertisements will help us meet the expenses and reduce the fare," a BMTC official said. Bhooshan said the technology, Software Defined Marketing, would help integrate advertisements on the website, as well as hoardings. "It's a long-term plan as part of the BMTC's goal to make its buses the preferred mode of transport in the city," he added.