Railway Automated Booking and Travel Assistance (RABTA)
ISLAMABAD ( Web News )
In accordance with the vision of the Federal Minister of Railways to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of Pakistan Railways by introducing Information Technology, an agreement was signed with a joint venture of M/s Easyway and M/s Norinco to implement Railway Automated Booking and Travel Assistance (RABTA) project on November 11, 2021. RABTA is an initiative of Pakistan Railways towards enhanced Customer Facilitation by using an Artificial Intelligence based approach. The partnership agreement was signed by Mr. Azam Ghafoor, Director IT, Pakistan Railways and Mr. Zhidan Wu from M/s Easyway. Secretary/Chairman Ministry of Railways on the auspicious occasion expressed his appreciation for the cooperation of Chinese firm to implement the project which will be implemented by incurring zero cost to Railways. Pakistan Railways will get a fair share in ticket price, freight, and value-added services. The project will be executed under Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) mode for ten (10) years, and it is the largest IT based project under public private partnership mode in Pakistan. RABTA is a step towards better Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Rather than having to locate, book, and pay for each mode of transportation separately, RABTA platform will let customers plan and book door-to-door journeys using a single interface. Customers can check train status, choose seats, purchase tickets, order car rental, meals & refreshments, book hotel. Customers can book tickets through multiple platforms including mobile application, website, ticket agents, e-banking, reservation offices, vending machines, and handheld devices. RABTA system comprises of various components including centralized call centre, complaint system, locomotive tracking and incident reporting, revenue and accounting system, freight and parcel booking system, data center, third party agreements, business intelligence and reporting system. RABTA will enable customers to book freight and parcels in few clicks. Speaking at the occasion, Mr. Zhidan Wu, M/s Easyway appreciated Pakistan Railways for this much-needed initiative that will make ticket purchase more convenient and user friendly. Customers can enjoy smooth and hustle free end to end journey experience by using the single platform of RABTA.