Is Your Mumbai Metro Experience About To Get Complicated? Uncover The App Dilemma

The much-anticipated Aqua Line of the Mumbai Metro opened to the public on Monday. However, commuters will have to wait at least a month before they can travel seamlessly between existing metro lines in the city. This delay is due to the different mobile apps required for booking tickets on each functional metro corridor, according to a Hindustan Times (HT) report.

Many citizens have raised questions about the lack of a dedicated app for all metro lines, which could greatly improve the travel experience. Subhash Gupta, a resident of Kurla, said in HT, "Ideally, all metro lines should be operated under an umbrella organisation that handles both train operations and ticketing. Having multiple mobile apps is tedious for commuters who would rather opt for paper tickets."

Tickets for the first phase of Metro 3 can only be purchased using the 'MetroConnect3' mobile app, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the corridor's inauguration on Saturday. Commuters need to select their boarding and destination stations from a drop-down menu, along with the date and type of journey (single or return). The app also allows users to select their source station based on their phone's location. It features options to save trips, calculate fares, and even a lost and found icon. Additionally, the app lists at least six tourist locations near the metro corridor.

A source stated, "Currently, the app is solely meant for users of the Metro 3 route. We are working on aligning it with the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC), which will allow commuters to travel on other metro lines as well. However, this will take at least a month or so."

The National Common Mobility Card was introduced by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to provide a unified payment option for various modes of public transport. Launched in December last year by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) in partnership with the State Bank of India, the contactless smart card can currently be used on Mumbai Metro's blue (Metro 1), red (Metro 7), and yellow (Metro 2A) lines.

Meanwhile, tickets for the Metro 2A and Metro 7 corridors can be purchased separately through the 'Metro 1' mobile app, while the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar Metro 1 uses a closed-loop card integrated with the NCMC and web-based applications like Paytm and WhatsApp.

According to a metro rail source, "In all likelihood, all metro lines in the city will be merged and operated by Maha Mumbai Metro Operation Corporation Limited. The operations of Metro 3 are also likely to be transferred to MMMOCL."