Buy yearly season tickets from Apr 1

In a move that could rake in revenue for the Railways and also bring down crowds at the suburban ticketing windows, the railway ministry announced the introduction of half-yearly and yearly suburban season passes or tickets, which will come into effect from April 1 this year.
According to the railway ministry, the half-yearly season tickets (HST) will cost 5.4 times the price of a monthly season pass, while the yearly season tickets (YST) will cost 10.8 times the amount of a monthly season pass. As per this calculation, commuters will end up gaining 10% on the HST and YST.

“In a city like Mumbai, where a vast majority of people stick to a travel pattern for years at end, having yearly and half-yearly season passes makes sense. In fact, the 10% gain that the commuter makes on these two new categories brings down the fare hike for him or her by that much percentage,” said an official.

Not only that, the emphasis on season passes is a winner for the Railways, as nearly 70% of daily travellers use these passes. For example, on the Western Railway alone, close to 40,000 season passes are sold daily.

“The Railways’ Vision 2020 document states that a commuter should get his ticket within five minutes of reaching the station. This never happens in Mumbai’s massively crowded suburban system, leaving commuters frustrated. The YST and HST should hopefully solve this issue,” said the official.

http://epaper.dnaindia.com/story.aspx?id=36925&boxid=12755&ed_date=2013-01-18&ed_code=820009&ed_page=9