<p>Namma Metro’s new rule to limit online transactions has become an annoyance for passengers, who complain about inordinate delays despite officials insisting on the need for cashless transactions.</p>.<p>The Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) framed by the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) allows passengers to recharge via the Namma Metro app or on the website. Officials said it takes an hour for the recharged amount to reflect on the smart card.</p>.<p>Passengers, however, say that the new balance does not update even after two hours.</p>.<p>Akshay Deshpande, a passenger, tweeted: “There are many who are not able to travel by metro, can’t recharge the card by cash, debitcards Recharged by App will take hours to work, so I believe ur new plan is to start a dormetory, u can make lot of money there like ur making by issuing new cards." </p>.<p>Posting the screenshot of his transaction, another user said his card has remained invalid for hours.</p>.<p>"The (BMRCL) helpline is nothing but voice commands," the user said, questioning why run services if they are not user friendly.</p>.<p>Delay occurs in the new system since an online recharge must reach the automatic fare collection gates via the BMRCL’s server.</p>.<p class="CrossHead">Blame it on bank servers </p>.<p>Acknowledging the inconvenience, a BMRCL official attributed it to delays in communication from the bank servers.</p>.<p>“A passenger who is recharging may get a message from the bank, but there may be delays in communication from the bank server to the BMRCL server,” he said, insisting that there are no delays in the metro system.</p>.<p>“The system is new and (therefore) initial glitches are natural,” the official added. “Passengers who show more than an hour of delay in crediting the payment are taken to the helpdesk where they pay the additional amount using cash or debit card to recharge. Since such transactions increase the risk of the Covid-19 infection, we are making efforts to solve the issues.”</p>
<p>Namma Metro’s new rule to limit online transactions has become an annoyance for passengers, who complain about inordinate delays despite officials insisting on the need for cashless transactions.</p>.<p>The Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) framed by the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) allows passengers to recharge via the Namma Metro app or on the website. Officials said it takes an hour for the recharged amount to reflect on the smart card.</p>.<p>Passengers, however, say that the new balance does not update even after two hours.</p>.<p>Akshay Deshpande, a passenger, tweeted: “There are many who are not able to travel by metro, can’t recharge the card by cash, debitcards Recharged by App will take hours to work, so I believe ur new plan is to start a dormetory, u can make lot of money there like ur making by issuing new cards." </p>.<p>Posting the screenshot of his transaction, another user said his card has remained invalid for hours.</p>.<p>"The (BMRCL) helpline is nothing but voice commands," the user said, questioning why run services if they are not user friendly.</p>.<p>Delay occurs in the new system since an online recharge must reach the automatic fare collection gates via the BMRCL’s server.</p>.<p class="CrossHead">Blame it on bank servers </p>.<p>Acknowledging the inconvenience, a BMRCL official attributed it to delays in communication from the bank servers.</p>.<p>“A passenger who is recharging may get a message from the bank, but there may be delays in communication from the bank server to the BMRCL server,” he said, insisting that there are no delays in the metro system.</p>.<p>“The system is new and (therefore) initial glitches are natural,” the official added. “Passengers who show more than an hour of delay in crediting the payment are taken to the helpdesk where they pay the additional amount using cash or debit card to recharge. Since such transactions increase the risk of the Covid-19 infection, we are making efforts to solve the issues.”</p>
