Metro card online top-ups gain traction

Metro rail passengers are increasingly embracing the new online recharge facility, introduced to spare them the long queues at station counters.
In just one week, more than 11,000 cards were topped up through the digital platform, signalling strong public acceptance of the service.
The Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA), which launched the system late last month, says usage has risen steadily as passengers find the process faster, easier and more convenient.
Officials expect the momentum to grow further as awareness campaigns expand across stations.
The DTCA launched the service on November 25, allowing passengers to recharge their MRT and Rapid Pass cards using computers or mobile phones.
According to data from the DTCA's clearing house, Tk 2.41 million was recharged across 11,749 Rapid and MRT Passes as of December 2 through payment gateways, including bKash, Visa, Nagad and Mastercard.
Officials said 75 per cent of all recharges were made through bKash, followed by 12 per cent via Visa, 3.1 per cent by Nagad, 2.3 per cent by Mastercard, 1.18 per cent by AmEx, and the remainder through other methods.
They noted that while only 1,400 to 1,500 cardholders initially used the service, the number has been rising due to station-based awareness campaigns.
DTCA Executive Director Neelima Akhter said that, in response to the positive feedback from metro rail passengers, the website's capacity had been expanded and almost all complaints received so far had been resolved.
She added that work was under way to introduce an app-based recharge system, which will offer a wider range of facilities for all mobile phone users.
Officials said passengers will be able to block and reissue their MRT or Rapid Passes using the app on both Android and iOS platforms.
The app is expected to be ready within a month, they said.

smunima@yahoo.com