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FREE online courses on ECOMMERCE FUNDAMENTALS - E commerce Initiatives in
India - Smart cards |
The Bharat Petroleum Corporation
Ltd. (BPCL) is aiming at one million customers by the end of this year for its
Petro Card. The smart card reduces the usage of cash and also helps build
customer loyalty. When the customer purchases fuel, the smart card records data
and gives him bonus points, which can be redeemed at various BPCL petrol
stations.
The offshoot has been that are only a few days when petrol
pumps are flush with cash. Car owners are loading the card with Rs 4,000-5,000
and the two-wheeler owners with about Rs 1,000, up from an initial Rs 500.
The BEST (Brihanmumbai Electric
Supply and Transport) introduced the smart card in 1998. The project was aimed
at solving customer complaints, which were about the arguments passengers had
with the conductors because they did not give back the exact change.
To give adequate representation to all types of commuters,
seven different routes were chosen. Out of the total traffic of 25,000
passengers on these routes, almost 13,600 purchased smart cards.
The biggest advantage for BEST was that the passengers had a
smooth, non-argumentative ride. Operational efficiency can also be improved, as
about 51% of the total expenses of BEST are salary costs. If the entire bus
fleet is equipped to handle smart cards, it will result in a 22-25% reduction in
staff costs.
