Integrated digital ticketing across transport sector can curb revenue leakage: Experts

Experts and transport sector stakeholders have called for an integrated digital ticketing system across Bangladesh's buses, trains, launches and airlines, saying it could curb revenue leakage, make fare collection more accountable and generate reliable data for better route and service planning.

They said a unified system could allow authorities and operators to track passenger demand by route and time, deploy vehicles more efficiently and improve services. But interoperability among transport and payment platforms, secure transactions, data protection and coordination among government agencies and private operators would be crucial for the transition.

The speakers made the remarks at a roundtable titled "Digital Ticketing to Transform Lives" held in Dhaka today (16 September). The event was organised by policy exchange platform Benchmark Dialogue and supported by online ticketing platform Shohoz.

Benchmark Dialogue Chairman Ashraf Kaiser moderated the discussion. Representatives from government agencies, transport operators, technology and financial service providers, passenger rights organisations and business bodies attended. Shohoz CEO Colonel (retd) Md Aminul Haque made a keynote presentation.

Need for an integrated system

Md Nabir Uddin, senior system analyst at the Digital Governance and Implementation Wing of the ICT Division, called for an integrated ticketing system allowing citizens to access different transport services through a single platform.

"Citizens should know and use a single system instead of having to become familiar with multiple separate platforms," he said.

Different service providers and payment methods could operate in the backend, while other services could be integrated into the platform in the future, he added.

Rajat Ghosh, director of Shyamoli Paribahan, said the transport sector has remained largely unstructured because of its constantly changing nature.

"Fully introducing digital ticketing can help bring discipline to the sector," he said, adding that although demand for online tickets rises during Eid and other festivals, many passengers still prefer buying tickets from counters during normal periods.

Fazlul Hoque, administrator at the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), said there was no major policy barrier to introducing online ticketing.

However, fare bargaining at counters creates an uneven environment between digital and conventional ticketing systems, he said. The transition would also require proper management of cash flows and transactions.

Sukdev Dhali, deputy general manager of Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC), said the corporation had been working to digitise its operations, including ticketing, for several years. "Fully online ticketing has already been introduced on the Pink Bus service," he said

Kazi Saifun Newaz, assistant professor at Buet's Accident Research Institute, said digital ticketing could provide information on passenger demand by route and time, allowing operators to adjust services and authorities to identify areas requiring additional transport.

Focus on passengers and data security

Dr Fahmida Khatun, distinguished fellow at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), said the transport sector should keep pace with the digitalisation of banking, tax payments and government services.

However, digitalisation must be inclusive, with attention to accessibility, data security, simple procedures, appropriate pricing and logistics, she added.

AHM Shafiquzzaman, president of the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (Cab), said past scams in the e-commerce sector had highlighted the importance of accountability in digital systems. Protecting passengers' personal information should also be a priority, he said.

Sharif Rafiquzzaman, president of Jatri Kalyan Samity, called for passenger insurance, an end to overcharging and better service quality. Digital ticketing alone would not resolve the transport sector's wider problems, he said, stressing the need to improve overall transport management, particularly in Dhaka.