Review: Indian Railways' UTS app for unreserved, platform tickets

4:11 AM Rajsamand Blog 1 Comments

Eight years ago, in a post critiquing the much-reported Indian Railways turnaround tale, I had suggested that the railways should introduce mobile ticketing for platform tickets via SMS.
Almost a year ago that desire was somewhat fulfilled when the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) made its UTS (Unreserved Ticketing System) app for paperless ticketing available on Google Play (also available for Windows).
Even though booking via the UTS app isn't as convenient as it would have been via SMS, it is a welcome addition given its potential in shortening the queue at railway stations and adding to passenger convenience in general.
Through the UTS app, users can book unreserved suburban tickets (Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi and Kolkata) as well as platform tickets for select railway stations.
But it is easier said than done.
There’s also an option to book a paper ticket, in which the ticket is booked with the app but a physical print of the ticket needs to be obtained from an automatic ticket vending machine (ATVM) at the originating station. While paper tickets can be cancelled, paperless tickets cannot be.
UTS is a very plain looking app and comes as a 2.9 MB download. According to the numbers on Google Play it has over 5 lakh installs. But the average rating appears to be declining, with more recent reviews giving the app a very low rating.
If you believe that you are at the railway station wanting to book a ticket, you would simply install the app and be ready for your journey, you will be a little mistaken.
First, you need to have an identification card number handy. And then, unlike the experience that we are used to while using other apps, you cannot make a payment directly from the app itself. For that you have to log in to a different website to add cash to your Railway Wallet (R-Wallet). No, you cannot just pay as you go. You are required to add a minimum of Rs 100 to your account. Also the website - www.utsonmobile.indianrail.gov.in - isn't mobile friendly. It has been built as a desktop site and the UI is all jumbled up when viewed on a mobile browser.
Payment done. Now can you proceed? It depends. You will be allowed to book a ticket only if you are a certain distance away from the railway track/station. This means that you cannot book a ticket after entering the platform. I had to keep on walking away from a railway platform before I was allowed to make a purchase. Also many users have expressed their frustration with the GPS abilities of the app that appears to have prevented them from purchasing tickets.
The idea, I think, is to ensure that passengers buy tickets before entering a station. But users should be alerted before and not discover this ‘feature’ at an inconvenient time. Also if the GPS needs fixing, it hasn’t been done in the last two months. That was the time the last update was rolled out.
If you have passed through these initial roadblocks and successfully got a ticket, you will need to click on the show ticket button when asked for by a ticket examiner. The app prevents you from taking screenshots of the tickets, perhaps as a deterrent to misuse. But that cannot prevent users from photographing the tickets.
A platform ticket booked through the UTS app
Your UTS app account is attached to both your mobile number and your phone. This means that if you change your handset, you will have to submit a headset change request to be able to use the same account on a different phone.
What if you have changed your phone more than once in three months? You cannot move your account to a new phone as the IMEI change request is allowed only once in three months.
Also unlike many other apps, it doesn't remain logged in and will log you out after every session. This takes away another little bit of convenience that we associate with mobile apps.
Having used the app for a couple of months now, the UTS app has further reinforced my belief in the way the Indian Railways (and many other state-owned organisations) embrac