Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) now wants the closure of i-ticketing, as it says that the passengers never prefer to use it. Observing a considerable dip in its usage, the IRCTC’s corporate office has written a letter to the Railway Board asking it to wind up this ticketing system as its demand among the passengers has hit a new low.
Figures obtained from IRCTC show that i-ticketing have never been preferred by the railway passengers, owing to its many inherent disadvantages. At a time when around four lakh e-tickets are generated in a single day across the country, only 400-500 i-tickets are issued under this system. Since the introduction of this facility, passengers have always preferred e-tickets, which has many passenger-friendly features.
According to a senior IRCTC official, “Even in peak season, i-ticket has found lesser passengers, which is definitely not a good sign for continuation of this system.”
Another official added, “Every system of ticketing, be it e-ticket, be it mobile ticketing, be it agent ticketing, or passenger reservation system or counter ticketing, it is getting more and more passengers everyday, but the i-ticket sees a considerable dip day by day.”
When contacted, group general manager of Western Region, IRCTC Virendra Singh said, “Yes, we are looking to discontinue the i-ticket at an all-India level as the e-ticket has managed to make its mark with the passengers for its instant benefits.”