Now, online platform to recharge smart cards for buses, trams & ferry services

Kolkata: Commuters need not visit points of sale to get their smart card for buses, trams and ferries recharged as West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) has introduced an online platform for the same.

The initiative comes in the wake of COVID- 19 to ensure less physical distancing.

No transaction charges have to be paid by the commuters for recharging their smart cards online. However, they will also get a 10 per cent bonus on the recharging amount of their smart cards. Anyone willing to recharge their smart cards can use Credit Card / Debit Card / Net Banking.

In order to avail this facility, people will have to visit www.onlinerecharge.wbtc.co.in. The portal will ask for the mobile number / Card number or OEM number of the cardholder and gives the option for the amount to be recharged. The recharge denomination will be between Rs.100 and Rs.1500 and should be multiple of 100 only.

When contacted, WBTC managing director Rajanvir Singh Kapur said: "The beta version of it (Smart Card) was launched earlier. Online recharge which has been introduced now will ensure people can recharge the card at the click of a button."

While more than 30,000 people are using Smart Cards to travel daily in and around Kolkata, earlier commuters had to pay cash and get the card recharged at the WBTC POS (Point of Sale) counter.

The WBTC Smart Card is a RfID (Radio-frequency identification) card that can only be used for transport mobility through WBTC buses, ferries and trams. The cards are being sold from 14 odd sales counters located in and around the city.