Bangalore Metro saw its first commercial transaction when chief minister DV Sadananda Gowda became the first citizen to purchase the smartcard. On Friday, he launched the metro travel smartcard at Vidhana Soudha along with home and transport minister R Ashoka, urban development minister Suresh Kumar and other ministers.
The first civilian who purchased the card on this occasion was Prakash Mandoth, chairman of infrastructure committee in FKCCI.
The day also saw three other major services offered by metro launched by the chief minister.
Gowda also launched the portal through which future metro passengers could purchase the smartcards online, the top-up facility of the cards through Airtel retail outlets and the Bangalore Metro helpline number. The chief minister said that his inspection of the metro was convincing and congratulated the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL) on its achievements.
“The travel time from MG Road to Byappanahalli is about six minutes and the facilities are state-of-the-art provided by BMRCL, which is impressive. We hope to get the safety certification as quickly as possible and dedicate it to the people by September 25,” said Gowda.
He appealed people to use concessional travel cards for smoother travel. He also called up the Metro helpline number 1800-425-12345. But sadly, even after calling thrice, he did not receive any response. He also bought a top-up at the special Airtel counter at the conference hall in Vidhana Soudha on Friday.
“The Reach 1 links the most important commercial and business junctions, from the end of this month, making it faster and comfortable. People may say it’s late but it’s never too late and now more people should use this mode of transport to reduce the vehicular population, traffic and pollution on roads,” said Mandoth, the first civilian to have purchased the smartcard.
