Wow! IRCTC to soon offer cash on delivery for rail tickets

After recently launching its next-generation e-ticketing system that features an enhanced booking capacity of 7,200 tickets per minute, IRCTC is reportedly launching a cash on delivery service for its rail tickets.

According to a Business Standard report, this move is to tap into the large mass of passengers that do not have access to internet banking or debit cards.

The service will reportedly start next month from Delhi and extend to over 150 cities in the next six months.

IRTC has tied up with a private player for ’e-dakiya’ cash on delivery and the services will be available on a separate portal, BookMyTrain.com.

Although the tickets will be priced a little more than the normal rate, this is a big win for IRCTC as
rivals Makemytrip, Yatra and Cleartrip which allow customers to book railway tickets online do not accept cash on delivery. This is the first such scheme for rail tickets in India.

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According to a Mint report, currently, 42% of people buying tickets online use Internet banking, 24% use credit or debit cards, and the rest use prepaid cash cards or other mediums.

The cash on delivery service will help reduce traffic on the IRCTC website as the time taken per transaction will be cut and it could also prevent transactions from failing on the site.

Earlier, it was only possible to book 2,000 tickets per minute on the IRCTC site. The new, revamped IRCTC site developed by Centre for Railway information Systems (CRIS) at an estimated cost of Rs 180 crore allows booking upto 7,200 tickets per minute.