BEST UPI ticketing is set to move closer to implementation in Mumbai after a committee approved a proposal to enable passengers to pay bus fares through QR code-based UPI transactions. The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport undertaking will now prepare an implementation plan before beginning the process of introducing the facility across its bus network.
The proposal was placed before the committee on Friday and was approved during the meeting, according to a report by Navbharat Times. The initiative has been proposed to make ticket purchases easier and reduce disputes between passengers and conductors over the availability of exact change.
Under the proposed system, conductors would carry a dedicated QR code on their lanyards. Interoperable QR codes would also be installed on buses and at depots, allowing passengers to make payments using UPI-enabled applications. The report said passengers would be able to scan the relevant QR code either before boarding or after entering the bus and pay the applicable fare digitally.
The proposal was introduced by committee member Ajay Singh, who sought the introduction of a QR code-based payment facility within the BEST bus network. Singh said several public transport systems across the country, including the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation, had already adopted UPI-based payment systems and reported positive results.
The proposed change addresses a routine but persistent friction point in bus operations: cash payments and the difficulty of providing exact change. For passengers, digital payment could reduce the need to carry small denominations. For conductors, it could lower the frequency of fare-related exchanges involving unavailable change, although the report did not provide details on how digital payments would be reconciled with ticket issuance or daily collection procedures.
The proposal also places the QR code at the centre of the planned ticketing process rather than announcing a separate card or mobile-ticketing platform. Passengers would use any compatible UPI payment application to transfer the fare to the designated account or payment interface and obtain their ticket through the process to be finalised by BEST.
The committee approval does not mean that UPI ticketing has already begun on BEST buses. The administration has been asked to prepare a plan, after which the implementation process is expected to move forward. The report did not specify a launch date, the number of buses or depots to be covered in the first phase, or the operational arrangements for passengers who continue to pay in cash.
The next milestone is BEST’s preparation of the implementation plan. Details on the rollout schedule, QR code deployment, ticket validation and the coexistence of digital and cash payments will determine how the proposal is introduced across Mumbai’s bus network.
