NEW DELHI, Oct 26: In a first-of-its-kind facility for railway passengers in India, the Indian Railways is planning to launch an application-based bags-on-wheels service to ease the burden of the travelling passengers.
The service will be initially launched on an experimental basis for the passengers travelling from and to Delhi, Ghaziabad and Gurgaon with the railway contract agency picking up their luggage from home or drop the luggage to their homes from the railway station.
“Using BOW APP (will be available for Android & iPhone users), passengers will raise their demand for carrying their luggage to the railway station or to their home. Luggage will be picked up by the contractor in a secured manner and will be delivered to the coach/home as per booking preference of passenger.” General Manager of Northern and North Central Railways Rajiv Chaudhry said.
A statement issued by the Northern Railways said, “App-Based Bags on Wheels, a first of its kind service available for railway passengers in India. While the contract has been awarded, the services are expected to begin soon and initially the firm to which the contract is awarded will provide its services for the passengers boarding trains from New Delhi, Delhi Jn., Hazrat Nizamuddin, Delhi Cantt., Delhi Sarai Rohilla, Ghaziabad and Gurgaon railway stations.”
Official said the cost of availing these services would be nominal, the price would depend on the distance to be covered as well as the weight and quantity of the luggage to be carried and the service would enhance the scope of earning for Railways. Initially the Non-Fare Revenue was expected to be around Rs 50 lakhs per annum along with 10 per cent revenue sharing for the period of one year.
Chaudhry said “the Railways have been regularly striving to enhance its revenue through innovative ideas. Working in the same direction, the Delhi division has recently achieved a milestone by awarding a new innovative contract under New Innovative Non-Fare Revenue Ideas Scheme (NINFRIS) for App-Based Bags-on-Wheels services. It would be the first of its kind service available for the railway passengers in India.”
(Vinayak Barot)
