Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) on Wednesday introduced a convenient WhatsApp chatbot-based QR ticketing service, eliminating the need for commuters to endure long cues for ticket booking. With this new feature, passengers can now conveniently purchase their tickets within minutes through WhatsApp.
CMRL’s WhatsApp chatbot is available in English and Tamil. To use the service, commuters need to simply send, “Hi” to +91 83000 86000 or just scan the QR code provided at all metro stations and choose from a host of services such as - booking their tickets, checking details on fares or routes, picking starting points and destination stations and so on.
For a single journey ticket and group of tickets up to a maximum of six, a QR ticket will be generated for each passenger. The QR ticket is valid until the end of the business day. However, once entry is done, passengers should exit within 120 minutes from their destination.
For exiting at the source station, passengers should exit within 20 minutes from the time entry. Tickets cannot be booked after business hours. Cancellation of tickets is not allowed in WhatsApp ticketing, says the release.