The Delhi government will roll out its WhatsApp-based bus ticketing system in a couple of months, with the trial run for the project commencing in a fortnight, Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said.

Also in the pipeline is the single-journey ticket system that will enable users to book autos, metro tickets, and bus tickets, he said.

"We have already tied up with WhatsApp for this initiative. There will be no digital money involved. Either you buy the NCMC card or the digital ticket. This will also give a huge push to digital money," Gehlot told PTI.

The government had recently in a statement said that an estimated 40 lakh people travel by buses in Delhi, and the number is expected to go up to 60 lakh by 2025. The minister said that the digital ticketing system will check pilferage and theft that is usually witnessed in the handling of cash.

The WhatsApp-based bus ticketing system will operate on similar lines as the one in use for the Delhi Metro, officials had earlier said.

Gahlot said that the WhatsApp bus ticketing system should be rolled out within two months.

"We plan to start a trial run around January 15 and after that we will take one or two months to completely launch it," he added.

Delhi has over 7,000 government buses comprising 4,000 DTC and 3,000 cluster buses.

The government is also planning to launch a separate app for booking a single-journey ticket, he added.

"The same ticket will be used for commuting in an auto, metro, and bus and will cater to commuters from the origin to the destination "The Central government is pushing for an Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC). The app will be there and the aggregators that will be on the ONDC platform will of course be part of our application," the minister said.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) already has a WhatsApp-based ticketing system in place. The service was launched in May this year and subsequently extended to all corridors of the rapid transit system, including the Gurugram Rapid Metro.

To purchase Delhi Metro tickets, passengers have to send a 'Hi' to +91 9650855800 on WhatsApp or scan the provided QR code using their smartphones.

Ticket cancellations are not allowed in the WhatsApp system. A marginal convenience fee is applied to transactions made via credit or debit card, while no convenience fee is charged for UPI-based transactions.

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