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| Indian Railways |
Train passengers will be able to use their mobile phones to book tickets through a simple text-messaging-based facility or a menu-based dial ling service from July 1. The two non-internet systems developed by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) can be used with even simple feature phones.
Features :
- The bookings can be made from anywhere and at any time in a secure manner.
- There is no need to log onto the internet or stand in a queue.
- Any mobile user can operate this system using handsets ranging from feature phones to smartphones.
- There is no need for an internet connection and customers will not have to pay any data charges.
In the menu-based dialling service, a system called unstructured supplementary data (USSD) is used where you have to dial the numbers on the menu offered. Payment is made through mobile wallet.
For the SMS-based ticket service, customers need to register with their banks to generate Mobile Money Identifier (MMID), a seven-digit random number. For the menu-based USSD system, there is no need to register with the bank and payment can be authorized through a mobile wallet.
Six berths or seats can be booked in a single transaction through the new systems.
THE TWO OPTIONS
1. SMS-based booking
* Registered IRCTC users can use this service. You also need to register your mobile number with IRCTC as well as your bank, which provides Mobile Money Identifier (MMID) and one-time password (OTP)
* Send SMS to designated number in following format: BOOK
* You receive a transaction ID
* Make payment with an SMS to designated number
2) USSD (menu-based dialling)
* Dial designated number, select 'book tickets' option, select 'reservation' (user is prompted to enter his IRCTC user ID once only), enter details (station, train no., date, etc)
* Enter mPIN for authorizing payment through mobile wallet
* Booking confirmation SMS is sent by IRCTC
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