Brief

In modern urban transportation systems, mobile-first infrastructure is transforming how people interact with public transit. Recognizing the inefficiencies of physical ticketing and smart cards, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) introduced a Rechargeable Multi-Use QR Code feature in their app. This innovation allows commuters to top up a single QR code, scan it at AFC gates, and travel with ease. This case study by YS Tech aims to present a replicable framework of this solution, integrating both technical depth and operational strategy, to inspire and enable metro-enabled cities across the Middle East.

Previous Solutions: Tokens, Cards, Multi-Use Tickets

Legacy systems, while effective during early adoption phases, come with limitations in today’s tech-driven ecosystem:

Single-Use Tokens

• Require physical purchase before every ride.
• Lead to long queues during peak hours.
• Generate significant plastic/coin waste.
• Offer zero digital footprint for analytics.

Smart Cards

• Reusable but require manual recharge at kiosks.
• Prone to loss, damage, or misuse.
• Lead to environmental waste from plastic manufacturing.
• High hardware maintenance and distribution overhead.

Multi-Use Paper Tickets

• Physical Degradation: Susceptible to wear and tear due to repeated handling, reducing reliability.
• Security Limitations: Easier to duplicate or misuse.
• Lack of Flexibility: Limited support for dynamic fare models or personalized engagement.
• Manual Recharge Dependency: Require physical kiosks to top-up, creating long queues and user frustration.
• Operational Overhead: High need for staff and maintenance of recharge infrastructure.
• Exit Discrepancy Issues: If a user buys a ticket for Station X but exits at Station Y, staff intervention is required to settle the fare difference.
• Scalability Constraints: Ineffective during crowd surges like festivals or emergencies.

These limitations highlight the pressing need for a mobile-first, automated, and flexible alternative like rechargeable QR codes.

Problem Statement

• High CapEx/OpEx on Legacy Systems: Hardware procurement, installation, and maintenance are expensive.
• User Inconvenience: Long queues and risk of card/token loss hurt the commuter experience.
• Environmental Burden: Significant non-biodegradable waste from physical ticketing.
• Data Gaps: No analytics for demand forecasting, crowd prediction, or journey mapping.
• Low Scalability: Legacy systems can’t dynamically adjust during high footfall events.
• Human Dependency: Fare mismatch handling and customer service require continuous staff involvement.

Proposed Solution: Rechargeable Multi-Use QR Code System

YS Tech proposes a secure, mobile-centric travel system with the following flow:

• Users register via the metro app and generate a persistent multi-use QR code.
• They top-up their QR wallet using UPI, cards, mobile wallets, etc.
• They scan the same QR at the entry/exit gates, triggering fare deduction.
• The system sends real-time notifications for top-ups, receipts, and travel history.
• No hardware dependency—just a smartphone and the app.

Benefits of the Proposed Solution

• 100% Mobile-First: Reduces reliance on physical infrastructure.
• 10% Fare Discount: Incentivizes digital shift.
• Real-Time Recharge: Avoid queues and station recharges.
• Environmental Impact: No paper or plastic waste.
• Smart Notifications: Custom alerts for balance, updates, or promotions.
• Staff Efficiency: Reduces kiosk load and human interventions.
• Data Insights: Journey patterns, peak usage, and station-wise heatmaps, not only inside the stations but outside too using mobile pings.

Technical Architecture with High-Level Diagram

Key Modules:

• Mobile App (Android/iOS)
• QR Wallet Microservice
• Secure Payment Gateway
• Fare Engine
• AFC Gateway Controller
• Admin Dashboard
• Analytics & Notifications Engine

Security Aspects and How They Are Addressed

• Short-Lived QR Tokens: Expire after 30 seconds or one scan
• AES-256 Encryption: Secure QR payloads
• 2FA for Wallet Access: Biometric or OTP login
• Rate Limiting + IP Whitelisting: Prevent brute force attacks
• PCI-DSS Compliance: Secure financial transactions
• Anomaly Detection: Alerts on suspicious behavior

High Availability

• Cloud-Native Deployment: With Kubernetes auto-scaling
• Redundant Gateways: Across zones to prevent outages
• CDN Integration: For low-latency app and QR delivery
• Disaster Recovery: <60 seconds RTO with real-time backup
• Live Monitoring: Grafana, Prometheus, and ELK stack

Benefits and Advantages (Delhi Metro Reference)

Assuming 5.5–6 million riders/day with 30% QR adoption:

• ~1.6M daily card issuance avoided
• 500+ tons of plastic saved per year
• ₹10–15 crore in annual operational savings
• 50–60% queue reduction
• Boost in NPS (Net Promoter Score) for user satisfaction
• Improved planning via travel pattern analytics

Why Middle East is primed for success:

• >90% smartphone penetration
• Mature digital payment ecosystem
• Government push for paperless governance

Future Roadmap: AI-Powered Enhancements

• Predictive Top-Ups: AI prompts before wallet runs out.
• AI-Pricing: Dynamic fare based on time, distance, crowd.
• Route Personalization: Recommendations based on usage.
• Voice Assistant Integration: Natural language-based travel planning.
• Fraud Detection Models: Stop abuse based on patterns.
• Loyalty Engine: Rewards for high-frequency users.

Conclusion

YS Tech brings strong technical expertise, domain understanding, and scalable architecture blueprints to reimagine urban metro experiences. This case study outlines our vision for enabling smart, mobile-first metro systems across the Middle East—delivering cost-efficiency, user satisfaction, and operational intelligence.