Kenya Railways to overhaul SGR ticketing system to curb fraud

Kenya Railways has announced plans to introduce a new ticketing system for the Makadara Express train to weed out black market sale of tickets.

According to the state agency, there have been growing concerns over high priced tickets sold outside the train terminus to travelers who were unable to buy tickets on time.

Kenya Railways in a public notice says by revising the ticket format, the firm will be able to add new features to the tickets making them more secure.

“We are also in the process of revising the ticket format and we will soon be rolling out a new version of the tickets incorporating passenger details, thus addressing the issue of unscrupulous purchase and resale of tickets at a premium,” Kenya Railways said in a notice in the dailies.

Some passengers have had to part with as much as Sh1,500 for an economy class ticket after missing tickets.

The railway operator said it would also boost security in and around the terminal to curb the illegal sale of tickets.

“We have enhanced surveillance at the termini and the security team is on ground to monitor any such occurrence and handle them appropriately,” the firm said.

Kenya Railways will at the same time offer alternative platforms to purchase the tickets from.

Currently passengers are limited to M-Pesa and physical purchase of the tickets at the Mombasa or Nairobi terminals.

Through online ticketing, passengers can book seats, buy and print out tickets, pay fares and receive invoices without having to visit a railway station.

Kenya Railways currently charges Sh700 for a ticket on economy one way between Mombasa and Nairobi and Sh3,000 for a first class ticket.

The railway operator has two trains plying the route daily but is looking to increase the schedule as demand for the train service rise.

Tags:

M-pesa Atanas Maina SGR Madaraka Express trains kenya railways transport railway illegal ticket sale online ticketing ticket

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