Mumbai Suburban railway is seeing a reduction in usage of smart cards for ticket purchases. More commuters now pay using UPI by scanning QR codes at Automatic Ticket Vending Machines (ATVMs). This has led to a decline in smart card sales and an increase in returns.
Between April 2024 and January 2025, Central Railway (CR) sold 3,070 smart cards, while Western Railway (WR) sold 4,899. During the same period, 809 smart cards were returned on CR, while 1,024 were returned on WR.
The monthly average sales were 307 on CR and 445 on WR. The monthly average returns stood at 81 and 93, respectively. As per sources, commuters still use ATVMs, but they now prefer UPI over smart cards.
Currently, ATVMs account for 20-25% of total ticket sales on CR and WR. Another 10-15% of tickets are bought through the UTS mobile app. The rest are purchased at ticket counters.
Most new smart card buyers are retired railway staff working as facilitators. These individuals help commuters buy tickets at ATVMs and earn a small commission. They recharge smart cards with a lump sum and use them to assist passengers.
WR operates 344 ATVMs between Churchgate and Dahanu. The railway plans to upgrade these machines to support easier online payments. A total of 126 new ATVMs will be installed, replacing 117 old machines.
Despite the rise in digital payments, ATVMs remain a useful alternative to ticket counters. They help reduce queues, even as smart card usage declines.
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