Chennai Metro Rail is considering building a mobile app which will work as a smart card for metro train rides.

Commuters will have to open the app in their phone and point it to a scanner equipment which would scan the phone and deduct the ticket price. Users might have to use the app while entering and exiting the stations.

“Commuters can recharge in the app and use it like a smartcard. All they have to do is download the app, recharge it and show the phone against a chip that will be installed at the AFC gates,” Times of India reported a CMRL official as saying. “Our plan is to bring in a one-time solution to metrorail ticketing.”

This plan to go hi-tech may not be implemented immediately as it needs lot of logistics to be sorted out before a digital smart card becomes a reality.

CMRL currently has an app that provides information on metro routes and timings, facilities in stations and availability of feeder services. CMRL is planning to include travel recharge option to this app which would enable commuters to recharge their smart cards thru the app. CMRL has also tied up with SBI for a mobile wallet.