Bengaluru: The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has taken a hit in its number of passenger bookings due to demonetisation. According to KSRTC managing director Rajendar Kumar Kataria, there is a decline of 18 per cent in the bookings.

“We have incurred a total loss of nearly Rs 15 crore because of cancellations of bookings due to demonetisation. Many people have postponed their journeys because of the note ban,” he said, adding that passenger traffic has been improving over the last few days.

Kataria further informed that, KSRTC is embracing three new ways – electronic ticketing machines, e-wallets and Point of Sale (PoS) machines to help provide cashless travel. KSRTC’s proposed electronic ticketing machine will help passengers to swipe their debit or credit cards. The machines are expected to be used in 2,000 buses. As many as 10 ticket counters across the state have already installed Point of Sale machines, he said.

To help passengers, the KSRTC is trying to come up with a dedicated KSRTC e-wallet so that users can deposit money in advance with KSRTC and use the service as a payment option using mobile number.