BEST to go back to paper tickets

The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) is going back to traditional methods of issuing paper tickets due to the poor quality of electronic ticket issuing machines (ETIM). At least 70 per cent of the total 9,500 plus electronic ticket-issuing machines (ETIMs) are under repair. The Undertaking's decision to buy blocks of paper was taken up by the administration headed by General Manager Surendra Bagde on January 9.

The BEST will be buying paper tickets worth Rs 23 lakh. This comes at a time when the Undertaking has been aiming to go digital and do away with paper tickets.

BEST has bought 9,500 ETIMs. "We have been telling the BEST administration about how 60-70 per cent of these ETIMs are lying idle in various bus depots due to technical problems. Now the administration is buying paper tickets, which is loss of public money," said Suhas Samant, BEST Committee member.