PayU Lets Indian Rail Commuters Pay With WhatsApp

Dutch payment solutions firm PayU has teamed with the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) in India to offer payments via its new WhatsApp-based Chatbot solution.

According to a Thursday (Nov. 3) news release, the partnership will let commuters on the Namma Metro system book metro tickets without having to wait at a counter, by messaging Bangalore Metro on WhatsApp or scanning a QR code.

Mohit Gopal, PayU’s chief operating officer, said the partnership is in keeping with its support of the Indian government’s “Digital India” program.

“Given WhatsApp’s potential as one of the key channels for commerce & payments in the future, Namma Metro’s new WhatsApp Chatbot facility will be a game changer for our country’s transport sector,” Gopal added.

Added A.S. Shankar, Bangalore Metros’ executive director for operations and maintenance: “This new way of booking a metro ticket will set a benchmark for public transit service excellence in the country, and is also a part of our wider vision to go green.”

The partnership is part of a larger trend among public transit agencies to offer riders contactless ticket purchases, as PYMNTS reported earlier this year.

This ticketing style skyrocketed during the pandemic, and now a majority of global consumers prefer this method over magnetic-strip cards, cash or PIN and chip-enabled cards.

Many transportation professionals have reacted accordingly, embracing new and innovative payment technology to reduce fares and entice riders back to public transportation.

“The obvious next step for transit authorities looking to stay ahead of the curve is to enable open-loop contactless payments, a system that allows riders to use any payment — card, mobile wallet or wearable — even if it is not part of their practices,” PYMNTS noted.

However, 17% of transit firms remain reliant on bespoke systems, which are often troublesome as they can be slower and less efficient than modernized ones, with software that is often more difficult to update due to its unique features. The volume of open-loop EMV cards in ticketing is expected to rise from 24.8 million to 136.9 million worldwide by 2025, a clear sign that consumer behavior is still changing.