On Tuesday, the Mumbai division of the Central Railway zone saw train ticket bookings of over 8.33 lakh passengers through the UTS mobile app. So far, this is the highest number of train ticket bookings through the UTS app, according to a PTI report. The Central Railway zone in a press release stated that as much as 11.86 per cent of the train tickets sold during the day were booked through the UTS app. Moreover, the Mumbai division earned an amount of Rs 67.93 lakh through the booking of mobile tickets on the day, it said. Launched by Indian Railways, the UTS mobile application allows booking of unreserved tickets for both suburban local trains as well as long distance trains.
According to the report, 4,686 passengers booked mobile train tickets in the Bhusawal division of Central Railways, as many as 9,478 passengers in Nagpur division, 5,908 passengers in Pune division and as many as 1,122 passengers booked mobile train tickets in Solapur division on Tuesday. Shivaji Sutar, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of Central Railway zone was quoted in the report saying that the UTS mobile application has greatly improved the overall experience of railway passengers and also, it has simplified the ticketing process for commuters, saving time.
In a bid to reduce queues at ticket windows, the authorities of Indian Railways have taken various steps such as promoting the sale of train tickets through UTS mobile app as well as Automatic Ticket Vending Machines (ATVMs) at railway stations.
The Central Railway CPRO, Sutar further said that the commercial department of the Mumbai division has introduced several campaigns in order to popularise the UTS mobile app. Additionally, drives have also been conducted at various railway stations in order to educate commuters about how to download and use the UTS mobile app, he added.