ASTC plans cashless transactions for Guwahati

Guwahati: The Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) on Friday joined hands with PhonePe for digital payment solutions through Unified Payment Interface (UPI), amid efforts make public transportation hassle-free in the Assam capital. 

Lauding the development as a "landmark move", Assam's transport minister Parimal Suklabaidya at an event here informed that passengers will now be able to scan QR codes displayed inside cabs and city buses to pay their fares. ASTC customers can also pay monthly dues by utilizing digital payment solutions offered by PhonePe.

According to the minister, the initiative "will pave the way for a faster digital payment settlement system."

"This move is in line with the Digital India initiative of the Centre. Integration of PhonePe into the ASTC's ecosystem introduces a number of digital payment options," Saurabh Doshi, the enterprise manager of PhonePe, told Business North East, adding that no extra or hidden transactional fees will be deducted.

At the same event, Rahul Chandra Das, the managing director of ASTC, said that ASTC's cab service has completed three months of service. 

"So far", Das informed, "over 95,000 drivers have applied out of which 35,000 have been enrolled" The associated app has been downloaded 60,000 times, he added.

In a new initiative, the ASTC is also starting online cab bookings through a post paid kiosk at the LGBI airport for inbound passengers who may not be having the app. Apart from the LGBI airport, the kiosks will also be installed at the Khanapara bus stand, Inter State Bus Terminal (ISBT), and the Guwahati railway station. Passengers who don't have internet connections can avail the cabs through SMS. "We are also integrating the application with PhonePe so the drivers can pay their dues through UPI and passengers can also pay via the same mode", Das added.

ASTC city cabs' collaboration with PhonePe was announced at an event held here on Friday. During the event, the ASTC also announced a "star driver" award  on a monthly basis on. ASTC's city cab service was launched on June 26, 2023. The service aimed to remove commissions for each ride to the apart from a fixed amount of Rs. 12.50 per day that the drivers had to pay each day.

In the ensuing months, however, members of the 'All Assam Cab Mazdoor Sangha', a cab drivers' union, have expressed their disappointment as they haven't received the benefits promised by the ASTC, they claimed.