Are you going for a film or an interview and want to keep your handbag or cameras somewhere safe for a few hours? Well, Delhi Metro commuters can now do that by renting digital lockers at 50 of its stations through a new mobile app launched on Wednesday.
The app – ‘Momentum 2.0’ – also allows commuters to make online purchases from listed e-commerce companies through ‘virtual stores’ at 20 metro stations, send a courier via a smartbox (digi-locker) and buy QR code-based tickets. Delhi Metro is the first mass rapid transit system in the country to introduce such facilities for commuters, officials said.
The mobile application aims to improve the subway passenger experience beyond just traveling. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) plans to extend ‘virtual stores’ and ‘digi-lockers’ facilities to most of its stations by June 2024.
Delhi Metro’s network spans 393 kilometers and has 288 stations, including the Noida-Greater Noida corridor and the Rapid Metro in Gurugram.
The app was formally launched by DMRC’s Managing Director, Vikas Kumar, at Shivaji Stadium Metro Station.
PTI had reported about this project in February 2022 when it was still in its infancy and the DMRC had hired a consultancy firm to work on the plan.
Using ‘Momentum 2.0’, which can be downloaded on both Android and iOS phones, a commuter can rent a ‘smart box’ (digi-locker) en route at any of the 50 stations on lines 1-7 and the Airport Line .
These stations include Rajiv Chowk, Millennium City Center Gurugram, Dwarka Sector 10, High Court, Pul Bangash, Netaji Subhash Place, Shaheed Sthal (New Bus Adda), Dilshad Garden, Noida City Centre, Anand Vihar, Tughlakabad, Sarita Vihar, Moolchand and IP extension.
“Using this app, someone can rent a locker at any of these stations, from a minimum of one hour to a maximum of six hours. A penalty amount will be charged if the time limit exceeds the period for which the digi-locker has been rented out,” said Anurag Bajpai, founder of AutoPe Payment Solution, told PTI.
The new app, a joint initiative of Delhi Metro and AutoPe Payment Solutions, seeks to provide seamless access to metro rides while making travel time count.
“Think of these digi-lockers which are similar to the ‘cloakroom’ facility offered at Indian Railways stations, but the metro facility is powered by an app powered by an advanced digital platform, which enhances passenger experience and at the same time giving them an option to do more than just travel on the road,” a senior DMRC official told PTI.
These ‘smart boxes’ are installed in a grid format and each station has a set of 83-90 digital lockers, with a console in the middle.
“For renting a digi-locker, a user will have to go to the app’s interface, which will show the ‘rent-a-locker’ option, and once pressed, the user will be asked to select a metro station, date, time and duration of rental in number of hours and locker size – small (Rs. 20 per hour), medium (Rs. 30 per hour) or large (Rs. 40 per hour), and the time slots available,” Bajpai said.
After payment, a PIN code is generated and displayed on the app interface, which is valid for both dropping off and picking up a package.
To drop a package, a user has to choose the ‘drop package’ tab on the home page of the console, after which after entering the authorized PIN, the digi-locker will open automatically, without any manual intervention, Bajpai said.
There is no physical lock or key in this system, it is all a digital platform-driven system, he said.
To make online purchases at a ‘virtual store’, a user must scan a QR code displayed on the wall of the setup at a metro station, and then be asked for the station where delivery should take place.
“After scanning the code, the item will be shown on offer, payment can be made and the destination station must be mentioned where the item will be delivered. It will be kept in a digi-locker from which it can be retrieved later by the buyer,” said another senior official of AutoPe Payment Solutions.
To use the courier service, a user can choose the service from the app, mention the address where a courier should be sent and then choose the station where the courier will be delivered, Bajpai said.
The courier is then picked up by the partner courier agency, so a user does not have to go to a post office or courier company, and the package is delivered to its destination, he said, adding: “The future plan is to have a hyper-local to have courier delivery, where a courier can only be picked up by the recipient from a metro station on the same day as the delivery”.
The app also offers the option to purchase QR code-based tickets for all metro lines, including the Airport Line, eliminating the need for multiple apps and improving user experience, the DMRC said.
Moreover, the Delhi Metro smart card recharge and transaction details can also be seen on the app. There is also an option for commuters to provide in-app instructions for ‘auto top-up’ in case the balance falls below a minimum defined value, the app said.
Users will also be able to pay utility bills such as electricity bills, gas bills, mobile bills, DTH bills, FASTag payment, etc. with ease, the DMRC added.
At a metro station, the app also provides station-related information, along with details on the location of facilities, gates, elevators, escalators, platforms and the times of the first and last trains. Since the time of arrival depends on the destination, a bicycle or taxi can be made ready to receive a passenger in the designated area at the exact time, officials said.
The app can also be used to locate food stalls or ATMs. It also provides information about shops, points of sale, kiosks and ATMs available at metro stations, they said.