Payment failed

Time of India

12-05-2025

BMTC
In an effort to reduce change issues for passengers and bringand KSRTC under the online payment system, the corporations implemented UPI payment across all its buses. However, recently, there have been problems with the UPI payment system, causing frustration for passengers.Due to payment issues, bus conductors are facing significant difficulties. Network problems and server issues have left both passengers and conductors in confusion. While passengers attempt to pay online without cash, delays are caused by server problems. On the other hand, even after payment is made, conductors are struggling to issue tickets.A UPI payment is taking a minimum of 3 to 4 minutes to complete. This issue is especially prevalent on highways, and the online payment system is in poor shape in rural areas. As a result, passengers in these areas are facing delays, causing additional stress for travelers and conductors alike.Due to technical and network problems, UPI ticket purchases are decreasing daily in a few KSRTC buses. In long-distance buses, only about 20 passengers per trip are using UPI to buy tickets, which is a significant drop. There are increasing calls to resolve these technical issues. Despite the need to transfer a considerable amount of money, the payment transfer is often delayed, further adding to the frustration.In rural areas, as conductors are trying to issue tickets, buses often reach a new stage before the payment is confirmed. This delay leads to confusion and inconvenience for passengers. The solution to the round-up fee issue, where extra money was being collected from passengers, has been implemented, making it easier for passengers to pay the exact fare.This measure has helped resolve the change issue for conductors, but passengers are still opting for offline payments due to the UPI issues.A bus conductor said, 'Sometimes, the problem worsens due to bank server issues, particularly with non-nationalised banks, which can become congested. This creates additional problems for passengers who are left without cash in their pockets.In city limits, UPI payments are processed quickly, but in rural areas, there are still persistent issues. As an alternative, passengers can opt for cash payments to buy tickets.'According to Ramalinga Reddy, Minister of Transport, Ramanagara, the delay in UPI payment processing makes it difficult for conductors to issue tickets on time.A KSRTC bus conductor said, 'Initially, the system worked well, but recently, we've been facing issues.There have been cases where passengers had to make two separate payments to get a single ticket.' Chetan Kumar who takes the bus often said there have been instances where he had to make the payment twice for a single ticket.'