From 1 July, book 6 train tickets with just 1 SMS

Before the internet revolution, if you had to book a railway ticket you had to either go to the railway station or seek your travel agent’s help. But, after the internet revolution, things became easy; all you needed to book a ticket was a computer, a net connection and a debit/credit card. But now, you don’t even need a computer, a mobile is good enough.

According to a story published in The Times of India today, you can use your mobile phone to book tickets via SMS from July 1. Alternatively, you could also use a menu-based dialling service called USSD.

In fact, these two modes of tickets are non- internet based, and hence you won’t need to use a smart phone to avail the service. The menu based dialling service (USSD), is very simple to use. All you have to do is dial the respective number of the menu option you want to choose. So, by just dialling the number on the menu you could choose any options, like access the user guide, search station, check seat availability and like. In fact, with a single transaction you can book six berths or seats.

The report quoted Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation official who said, “A dedicated telephone number will soon be provided to carry out the transactions,” Read the entire Times of India story here.

This is about booking tickets via SMS or USSD dialling, but if you want to know what more you can do with a mobile as far as your money life goes, read this Firstpost story.