Officials have sent a letter to the Railway Board asking to do away with the scheme, as passengers have not warmed up to it
Tired of the poor response to the I-ticketing system, officials from the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) have written a letter to the railway board asking them to scrap the system altogether. According to IRCTC officials, most passengers opt for the e-ticketing system and hence, staffers previously employed for the I-ticketing should be absorbed into the e-ticketing scheme.
Flop Show Officials say that even in peak season, most passengers opt for the e-ticketing or ask agents to buy their tickets, rather than use the I-ticketing system. representation pic
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According to recent figures, on an average four lakh passengers book tickets through the e-ticketing scheme in a day, whereas only 400 passengers opt for I-ticketing — a scheme introduced in 2006 in which the ticket is delivered to the person’s home three days after booking.
Explaining the need to scrap the I-ticket scheme, a senior official from the IRCTC said, “Since the beginning, I-tickets have not been the preferable choice for passengers and most opt for e-tickets as one can print them out and access their ticket from anywhere, whereas I-tickets are delivered to the person at a specified address. Even in peak season, most passengers opt for e-tickets, mobile ticketing and use of agents, while I-ticketing receives very poor response.
Hence, we want to scrap the system.”
Officials add that they also have to appoint extra staff to deliver the tickets, which is becoming costly and the poor response is making the entire scheme non-feasible.
Virendra Singh, group general manager, IRCTC, said, “We are getting a very poor response and hence, we thinking of cancelling the scheme. We have informed the railway board and are awaiting their reply.”
And the decision to scrap the system is also being welcomed by commuters. Rajkumar Bhayani, a frequent traveller, said, “I have booked my tickets several times through the I-ticket scheme and they deliver the ticket every time when I’m not at home. I prefer e-ticketing as it is easier and I can also furnish details of my ticket at any time through my phone.” u00a0
4 lakh -u00a0Average number of tickets purchased daily through the e-ticketing system
400 -u00a0Average number of tickets purchased daily through the I-ticketing systemu00a0
What is I-ticket?
I-tickets are booked online on the IRCTC’s website. After you book your tickets online, the physical ticket will be delivered to your doorstep three days after the booking. A service charge of Rs 40 is levied for lower class and Rs 60u00a0in upper class. u00a0
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