Now, passengers can book their rail tickets via BHIM app

New Delhi: In its bid to push digitisation and promote cashless transaction, the Indian railways has started accepting payment made through Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM) app.

BHIM or UPI (Unified Payments Interface) promoted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi post demonetisation facilitates instant fund transfers between two bank accounts on a mobile platform. Details of the beneficiaries bank account are not needed for this.

The UPI based payment has been made applicable from December 1. Passengers can go to the counter with their handsets and get their reserved tickets.

The payment facilities that were activated from the starting of December is now being promoted by the Ministry of Railways via e-mails.

“This facility is not chargeable for a period of three months and is safe to use as there is no need to share bank account or credit/debit card numbers,” an e-mail to a customer on Wednesday read.

BHIM app facility will be available at a number of counters.

No additional charges will be levied from passengers making payment at railway counters using UPI/BHIM for a period of 3 months.

Here's how to book rail ticket via BHIM app

• Customers will have to give travel details to the counter person, based on which he/she will inform about the fare to be paid.
• If customers opts to pay through UPI/BHIM, the counter person will select UPI as payment option and request for passenger's Virtual Payment Address (VPA).
• Counter person will enter the Virtual Payment Address (VPA) to initiate the transaction in the terminal.
• Passenger will receive a payment request on the mobile to confirm payment. Passenger has to accept the payment request and passenger's linked account will be debited the fare amount.
• Once the transaction is successful and this is verified on the system, counter person will print the ticket and the passenger can collect the ticket.