New Delhi: Delhi Metro commuters will now be able to wear their smart cards on wrists as the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) ties up with the Austrian company LAKS to launch wrist watches with rechargeable smart cards. Named as Watch2Pay, the innovative watch priced at just under Rs 3000 (Rs. 2999/-), will be available through an online e-commerce site. The Watch2Pay is billed as the world's first watch equipped with a smart card that provides consumers with a fast and convenient alternative to tickets and cash.
"The commuter will simply have to touch the wrist watch to the screens of the AFC (Automatic Fare Collection) gates at the metro stations to get access," said a Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) statement.
Along with the ease of use, this new technology will provide commuters a more convenient and fast access to the Delhi Metro network. It just saves the time spent queuing up and the hassle of fumbling for cash, cards or mobile phones.
The watch will have a SIM card inside it, which can be removed and reinserted from the watch using a simple "Slide in System". The sim-equipped watch can be recharged also like any usual metro smart-card over the counter or through recharge card terminals, a DMRC official told IANS.
The SIM Card can be recharged like any usual metro smart card over the counter or through recharge card terminals. To recharge, a commuter needs to give the unique SIM number '71500111' (as seen on the Sim Card in this image) to Delhi Metro official who recharges the smart cards or add the number in the recharge card terminal to recharge.
As an Austrian company, we are very proud of this cooperation, which confirms the strong trend seen towards a contactless society in a dynamic country like India, said Lucas Alexander Karl Scheybal, Designer and CEO.
"The Watch2Pay collection, currently consisting of 14 different watches and a stylish key fob, offers the Metro riders in New Delhi an exclusive variety of materials, design and trendy colors. Now fashionable, styling-conscious people have the opportunity to combine elegance and convenience," Mr Scheybal further added.
While speaking about the collaboration, Vishal Chhabra, Director, Cedar Telelinks said "We are excited to bring this convenient and innovative contactless payment solutions to India. With India on the verge of entering a cashless revolution and the Indian consumer preferring to climb the digital ladder, we are pleased to be a part of this journey along with Paytm to enable our customers enjoy a cashless, convenient, hassle free Metro ride.
Notably, the same watch company in 2015 had joined hands with Hyderabad Metro Rail to facilitate payment of fares.
Apart from the smartwatch, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation also launched its first cashless token sale and card recharge facility to provide commuters with a more convenient and faster access to the Delhi Metro network, while encouraging them to adopt digital payment solutions for day to day transactions.
(With Inputs from IANS)Also Read: Cashless Facility For Commuters Starts At Lal Quila Metro Station