JOIN USBengaluru: Use recharged metro card in a week or lose money
The next time you recharge your Namma Metro card, make sure you use it for at least one journey within seven days or run the risk of losing the entire money on the eighth day.
The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has cut short the time given to commuters for validating the recharge from 60 days to seven days.
Officials have cited a technical requirement for effecting the change. “We are introducing a recharge gateway on the Namma Metro app,” said BMRCL Chief Public Relations Officer B L Yashwanth Chavan.
“We have been informed that there will be a huge increase in the amount of data at the fare collection gate as a result of the new recharge system. Once the online recharge system is effected, the amount is transferred from the user to the bank account and then to the gates. The data accumulated in six days will lead to an overload."
To a question, he said there is no possibility of extending the deadline from seven days to 30 days. The only step the passenger needs to follow to ensure no loss of money is to use it within seven days. That way the electronic chip on the card will be validated and the gate does not have to stock the information. Passengers failing to flash the card at the gates will lose the money.
“No possibilities of a refund. Commuters can use the card one hour after the recharge. If they are unlikely to travel in the metro, we advise them not to recharge the card,” Chavan clarified.
A single-use post the recharge would ensure the money remains stored in the card for 10 years. The official said the card’s validity has been enhanced to ten years in the latest system.
Recharge on the app
Commuters can now recharge the smart card on the Namma Metro app from Monday, when BMRCL resumes services. The new version of the app will be available for download from Monday. "If passengers can't recharge through the app, they can still get it done through contactless digital payments at the counter," a BMRCL spokesperson said.