Book KSRTC ride via SMS

There was a time when you had to stand in a long queue to get a bus ticket to your hometown. Then you skipped the queue once the bookings were made online. Now you can skip that too — book your KSRTC ticket on your mobile.
    The new initiative by the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) to provide mobile booking of the ticket is merely a month-old. However, it has become popular among people of the city.
    “This will be one of the most people-friendly policies KSRTC has come up with. It saves a lot of effort for us. With new cell phones and fast internet connection, this will prove to be a real advantage,” said Rashmi Menon, systems analyst, Oracle.
    Buoyed by the success of the project, KSRTC has launched a website too. “Earlier, people could book using their mobiles, however, they had to take a printout of the ticket before the journey. Now, we have sent circulars to all the conductors directing them to accept the tickets on mobile phones on production of any ID card,” said Channabasappa, chief manager, commuter relations, KSRTC. “This mobile website is user friendly. It does not have too many functions, so it opens fast and booking on this too is much faster. Even choosing the destinations and the dates is much easier,” said Shivakumar CT, consultant, Microsoft. “It’s extremely convenient. Seems to have a pretty simple interface. It’s good that it only asks you for basic details. The only drawback is that you have to register using a computer before being able to access this on your phone,” said Thomas E Ramapuram, special director, software, Orange County Resorts.
    With the emergence of new technologies in the market, KSRTC is planning on making mobile-specific applications. “One of our target groups is youngsters of the city, who are tech-savvy. We are planning on creating specific applications for Blackberries, i-phones etc,” said Gaurav Gupta, managing director, KSRTC.

HOW YOU CAN BOOK A TICKET
It is similar to booking a ticket online. Initially, you have to register with the KSRTC website. A user ID and password will be created for you in the website. When you want to book your ticket using a mobile phone, your phone should be GPRS activated. You need to log into the website www.ksrtc.in/mobile. On logging in, you will find directions to book the tickets. Follow the instructions and you we will get ticket via email.

WAIT IN COMFORT 
You can now wait at the air-conditioned lounge for Airavat buses at the Shantinagar bus station. The lounge has a capacity of up to 60 passengers.