MUMBAI: More than a decade after it was conceptualised, the Integrated Ticket Management System will finally become a reality within a year. It will allow commuters to travel seamlessly across the suburban railway, BEST buses, Metro and monorail, using his or her credit or debit card.On Thursday, the final hurdle was crossed when Union railway minister Piyush Goyal gave the go-ahead for the implementation of the Account-Based Ticketing System as against the railways ’ insistence on a Storage Value Ticketing System.There will be no need for another smart card under the Account-Based Ticketing System, said R A Rajeev, Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority ( MMRDA ) commissioner. “To travel seamlessly across suburban trains, BEST buses, Metro and monorail, all that the commuter needs to do is swipe the amount from their bank account using a credit or debit card. The user has to ensure that there is a minimum balance of Rs 2,000 in his or her account. This is because 70% of commuters on the suburban railway are pass-holders,” said Rajeev.It is the most advanced ticketing system. “It didn’t make se-nse to invest in the Storage Value Ticketing System and then re-invest at a later date in this system. London will soon be implementing it too,” he said.Implementation of the Integrated Ticket Management System has been delayed as the railways was keen on a Storage Value Ticketing System, but it would have required a commuter to load a card, monitor the balance and queue up to reload the card. The MMRDA was finally able to convince Goyal about the new system.MMRDA has invited tenders to appoint an agency for implementation of the system. The hardware for swiping credit/debit cards will be purchased individually by each transport agency. The BEST undertaking has already issued tenders for the hardware.“Under the Account Based Ticketing System, one needs to only swipe credit/debit card at the point of service. If a person does not have the required minimum balance, he can travel the first time. At the end of the day, when the transaction is reviewed and if the required balance is not there, the card will fall in the no-transaction zone. The next time the person swipes the card, the system will automatically deduct the amount for the previous journey as well as the current journey,” explained Rajeev.Transport activist A V Shenoy welcomed the decision, but also pointed out that the experience at railway stations show that the ATVMs often are non-operational. “While the technology must be upgraded, the agencies must ensure that the hardware is also maintained and commuters don’t have to wait in long queues,” he said.