Metro Passes Can Now Be Recharged Online Starting 25 November

The Rapid Pass and MRT Pass online recharge system for the metro rail will officially launch on Tuesday, 25 November. The Chief Adviser’s Special Assistant on Road Transport and Bridges, Sheikh Moinuddin Bela, will inaugurate the online recharge process at around 10:45 AM at the Agargaon Metro Station in the capital.

Rezaual Karim Siddiquee, Senior Information Officer of the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges, said that the inauguration ceremony will be presided over by Nilima Akhter, Executive Director of Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA). Special guests will include Dr. Mohammad Ziaul Haque, Secretary of the Road Transport and Highways Division, and Faruk Ahmed, Managing Director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL).

Once the service is launched, metro rail passengers will no longer need to visit stations to recharge their permanent cards. Recharges can bedone from home using bank credit cards, bKash, Nagad, Rocket, and all other online banking/payment methods.

According to DTCA sources, initially, users will be able to recharge through a link available on the DTCA website. An app is expected to be launched next month, allowing users to recharge through the app as well.

Regarding the service, DTCA Executive Director Nilima Akhter said that once implemented, passengers will no longer need to stand in queues to recharge their permanent cards. This will save time and reduce inconvenience.

Currently, two types of permanent cards are used on the metro rail: Rapid Pass and MRT Pass. Passengers using either card receive a 10 percent fare discount. At present, 55 percent of metro passengers use Rapid or MRT cards, while the remaining 45 percent use single-journey cards.

Under the new system, both types of cards can be recharged online as desired. However, customers will have to pay an additional fee for using the payment gateway. After recharging, the amount will remain in “pending” status until the card is tapped once at an AVM (Add Value Machine) at a station. The pending recharge will remain valid for up to three months. If the card is not tapped within this period, the money will be returned to the customer’s account, with a 10 percent service charge deducted. Passengers may request a refund within seven days, also with a 10 percent fee.

After recharging online, passengers must tap their permanent card at an AVM machine at least once to update the balance. Once updated, the balance will remain available until it is fully used. A new AVM tap will be required only after the next recharge.

DBTech/BN/IK/OR