A joint venture formed by a unit of Bahrain-based Capivest and the Central Railway in India has launched a Smart travel solution for commuters in India.

The “Go Mumbai”, a multi-purpose Smart Card for use by public transportation commuters, was launched recently by the venture.

Kaizen Automation Pvt Ltd, Capivest's subsidiary in India is a leading company in automation projects.

The new Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) systems, implemented for the first time in India, were set up in and around Mumbai to read travel cards (also known as Smart Cards) used daily by thousands of local commuters on more than one mode of public transportation.

Other major cities in India have already expressed serious interest in implementing AFC systems elsewhere, allowing the use of Smart Cards for their public transport commuters as well.

Commenting on the reasons why Capivest chose to form this public-private initiative in India, Nabil Hadi, CEO of Capivest and chairman of Kaizen Automation Pvt, Ltd, said: “We at Capivest have a keen interest in projects that further develop the infrastructure of countries, but at the same time are environmentally friendly. There’s no doubt that if we can ease commuters' travel experience, there will be a higher interest in using public transportation, which will ultimately lead to fewer cars on the road and a cleaner environment.”

AFC multi-application Smart Cards are already in use in countries such as, USA, Australia, Hong Kong, and Singapore, as well as in many parts of Europe. AFC has many advantages, such as automating the ticket accounting and selling processes, and giving detailed data on system usage. 

AFC also reduces the time commuters waste in long queues waiting to buy travel tickets, which simplifies and encourages commuters to use public transportation.

Additionally, Smart Cards application for various uses such as toll collection and other daily consumer needs are in the pipeline, he said. -TradeArabia News Service