The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation [IRCTC] has now launched cash on delivery train tickets at your doorsteps, a move targeting customers who refuse to share their credit and debit card details as well as those who don't have internet banking. However, this scheme is still in pilot basis and will be available in only 200 prominent cities. If the project gets good response, then IRCTC would implement it throughout India.
“One has to just book the ticket online and payments will be made at the time of delivery of tickets,” said a senior official of IRCTC. Anduril Technologies is authorised in providing the cash on delivery services while additional charges would apply for the delivery at your doorsteps. Rupees 40 will be charged for Sleeper class ticket and Rs 60 will be charged for the A/C ticket.
Generally we witness huge crowd and long queues at the ticket counter and this is a good initiative by the railways authorities and it would provide little extra income as well. However, in metro and tier II cities, this cash on delivery service would work while in rural areas, it may not have much impact. Eversince, NDA government came into power, it is doing all efforts to pull railways from loss making. The fares have been hiked by 14 per cent last year and the government has allowed FDIs in railways too. Anyways let's see how the 'cash on delivery' service works for railways.
- TVR
