The city’s e-buses will no longer need riders to pay their fares entirely with cash as of May. The 94 e-buses run by Kanpur City Transport Services Limited (KCTSL) will now accept digital payments using UPI and QR codes.

In addition to the current cash method, commuters will have the option to pay digitally thanks to the integration of the QR code into the electronic ticket machines. Rajneesh Rajput, the Chief Operating Officer of KCTSL, is spearheading this effort, which attempts to reduce ticket fraud and increase income. Conductors are being suspected of pocketing fares without giving tickets, which has cost the government money.

After these claims were verified via internet monitoring, contract-based conductors were even fired in some instances. It is anticipated that the use of digital payments would reduce these kinds of instances and boost the department’s daily revenue, which now averages around Rs 6 lakh from 14,000 passengers.

About 90 of the 100 e-buses that are permitted to run in the city go on different routes every day, such as Ramadevi to IIT, Bindki, Ghatampur, and Bilhaur. These buses, which are run by Tirthankar Company and are supervised by KCTSL, are paid Rs 62.24 per km. Currently in its latter stages of construction, the digital fare system is anticipated to be live across the city in May.