- Posted by Giz Bot, last updated on 31 May, 2019

If you live in any city in India that has a suburban train network, such as Chennai, or Mumbai, you know the pain of standing in a queue to book a ticket. Indian Railways has tried various options to make people avoid long queues.

However, none of this is as convenient as using a smartphone app to book train tickets, so Indian Railways introduced the UTS app. UTS stands for Unreserved Ticketing System and will work only for those seats which do not require reservation.

You cannot book unreserved seats on outstation trains through the UTS app, but it works for local trains. The UTS app allows you to book two types of tickets – paper tickets and paperless. You have to book the paper ticket on the UTS app.

The ticket will then have to be printed through an ATVM (Automatic Ticket Vending Machine) which is present in over 1,000 stations in India. On the other hand, paperless tickets, which are available in select cities, can be booked on the UTS app and you do not need to print them.

Remember these things before booking paperless tickets on UTS App

• Paperless tickets can be booked through the UTS app in these cities – Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Secunderabad.
• You need to be within 2-km of the source station to book a paperless ticket. The UTS app requires location access to book tickets.
• You cannot book paperless tickets while standing on the railway track or inside the train. This works for us sometimes because the GPS is not completely accurate, but in most cases the app will not allow you to book tickets while you are inside the train.
• Paperless tickets can be accessed offline. You can show the ticket to the inspector through the UTS app.
• If your phone’s battery is drained, then your ticket booked on the UTS app is worthless. So don’t forget to charge your phone before traveling on suburban trains.

While booking paper tickets through UTS app, remember these things-

• You can book paper tickets without having to access the UTS app at the location of your phone.
• You need to print the ticket at the ATVM kiosk at the railway station.
• You may be fined if you do not print the paper ticket booked through the UTS app.
• Ink fades quickly on Kiosk Printed Tickets, so we advise you not to book Printed Season Tickets through UTS App.
• Some ATVM kiosks are not functional at railway stations, so don’t get stuck in a situation where you can’t get your ticket printed.

Register to book local train tickets-

• Open the UTS app on your smartphone, tap on the three vertical dots icon on the right and tap on Register. Alternatively, you can go to UTS’s website and tap on Sign-up.
• Now enter your mobile number, name, password, gender and check the box that says you accept the terms and conditions. Then, tap Enter all information.
• Now you will receive an OTP via SMS. Enter the four digit OTP and tap on submit.
• The registration will be done on the UTS app.

How to book paperless tickets for local trains on UTS App-

– Open the UTS app on Android or iPhone.

– If you haven’t logged in yet, click on the login button on the right. This button looks like a rectangle with a right arrow on the iPhone.

– Enter your credentials and once you are logged in, tap on Book Ticket.

Tap on Normal Book.

– Select Book and Travel and tap Continue.

– Under Stations select the station from where you want to book. Remember that you have to be less than 2 km away from the source station. If you are away from 2 km, the UTS app will not let you book paperless tickets.

Go to the station and choose your destination.

– Tap on Proceed.

– On the next screen there are several options – number of passengers, single or return journey ticket, first or second class, AC or non-AC train, and finally payment gateway. Select these as per your requirements and tap on Get Fare.

Now check the complete details once and tap on Book Ticket.

– It will redirect you to R-Wallet or payment gateway, where you can make payment.

Now you will see the ticket in the app. If you can’t see it, tap on the home icon in the top right and tap on Booking History to view tickets. So in this way you will also be able to book local train tickets sitting at home.

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