Passengers inside the SGR train. [Photo/ capitalfm.co.ke]
Passengers using SGR trains between Nairobi and Mombasa will soon begin buying travel tickets online as Kenya Railways moves to curb fraud.
Middlemen have been accused of exploiting travelers by selling tickets at higher rates.
“Kenya Railways would like to inform the members of the public that we acknowledge and take seriously the concerns raised about the mode of ticketing in use on the Madaraka Express Train Service,” Kenya Railways said on Saturday in a newspaper notice.Middlemen have been buying tickets at the normal price of Sh700 and sell them at more than Sh1,000 each. An economy ticket costs Sh700 while that of first class sells at Sh3,000.“To address the concern, we are working to introduce other modes of payment as a top priority; this includes online ticketing. Mobile applications will also be considered as a component of the online module to address the situation,” read the notice.Through the online ticketing system, travelers will be able to book seats, buy and print tickets, pay fares and receive e-invoices without traveling to the railway station.“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’s details, thus addressing the issue of unscrupulous purchase and resale of the tickets at a premium,” said Kenya Railways.