Passengers of the Dhaka Metro Rail will soon be able to top up their permanent travel cards from home, as authorities prepare to launch an online recharge service on 25 November.
The system will allow users to add money through credit cards, mobile financial services including bKash, Nagad and Rocket, and all forms of online banking. Additionally, it will reduce the need to queue at station counters or bank booths.
Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser (Road, Bridge and Rail Ministry), Sheikh Moinuddin, is scheduled to inaugurate the service.
Initially, card recharges can be done through a link on the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) website. The authorities will launch an app next month.
DTCA officials confirmed that while permanent cards can be recharged online, single-journey cards will still only be available at stations.
Currently, two types of permanent cards are in use — Rapid Pass, issued by DTCA for multi-modal transport including buses and trains, and MRT Pass. The Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), the operator of the metro rail, issued the cards.
Under the new arrangement, both cards can be recharged using online banking.
However, after recharging online, customers must tap their permanent card once on a special device at the station, known as an Add Value Machine (AVM), to update the balance. Once the card is updated, it does not need to tap it again until the next recharge.
DTCA has contracted private company DataSoft to manage the backend recharge process. AVM installations began this week, with 32 machines being set up across the 16 stations from Uttara to Motijheel on 21 and 22 November.
Under the system’s rules, users will pay a processing fee for the payment gateway. Pending top-ups will remain valid for three months. If the passenger does not tap the card on an AVM within that period, the money will automatically be refunded to the original account, minus a 10 percent service charge. Passengers may also request a manual refund within seven days, also with a 10 percent deduction.
At present, the balance and travel history for Rapid and MRT cards are stored directly on the card and read at station gates. Online recharges, however, will sit on the system software until an AVM tap synchronises the data—hence the separate machines.
