September | 2021 | Ramu Das

There are two ways you can choose to travel in Mumbai local trains at present (that is, in this pandemic which, I hope, is ending soon): The ethical way and the unethical way. The ethical way is to follow the protocol that the government of Maharashtra has laid down, and the unethical way is to do the opposite.

Let’s look at the ethical way: You need to take both the doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. After the second dose, allow 14 days to pass. Thereafter, you can get the monthly pass either through an offline or online method. As per the government’s order, one cannot buy a daily ticket, and has to get only the monthly pass.

How to Apply for Mumbai Local Train Pass Online

Follow the following steps to get your Mumbai local train monthly pass online:

Visit epassmsdma.mahait.org
From the right-hand side, click on the option called Universal Pass For Double Vaccinated Citizens.
Enter your mobile number, which should be the same that was used while registering for the Covid vaccine, and click on Send OTP
Enter the OTP that you have received on your phone
You can now have a look at the beneficiary details. Under the option called ‘Action’ click on ‘Generate Pass’
Download a copy of the Universal Pass or just take a screenshot
Visit a railway station near you in the Harbour, Central or Western Line, and go to the ticket counter. Show the Universal Pass on your phone and the hard copy of a government approved photo ID. Pay and get your monthly train pass.

How to get Mumbai Local Train Pass Offline

The government has arranged for various help desks at the railway stations in Harbour, Central and Western Lines. Follow the following steps to get your monthly train pass offline.

Get a coloured print copy of your Covid vaccine certificate and a government issued ID card like the Aadhar card
Carry the original copy of your Aadhar and the vaccine certificate
Go to the railway station and approach the officials at the help desk
Get your documents verified and coloured copies stamped from the officials
Go to the ticket counter, show the stamped certificate, pay and get your monthly pass.

The online process is simple and saves you time and money. The website loads fast and the OTP comes within seconds. But if you are not comfortable with the online process, you can try the other process.

Now, let’s discuss the unethical way of travelling in the Mumbai local trains at present. When I had gone to the station to get my pass, ahead of me in the queue was a man who had pronounced the name of a certain station and had asked for a ticket. He got the ticket, although the government’s protocol had stated that only monthly passes were to be issued. Also, whether the person had taken both the doses of the vaccine was not clear. But who was to be blamed there, the person who had asked for the ticket or the person at the counter who had given the ticket? Or perhaps both were right in what they were doing, one had to go somewhere, and the other understood the pain of the commuters who were deprived of the train service for so long.

Another way to execute the unethical practice of travelling in the Mumbai local trains is to travel without a ticket, which some of my colleagues have resorted to. They are not afraid anymore of the consequences of getting caught; at the most they will pay a fine of a certain amount. They are not yet aware that they can avail tickets from the ticket counter, so, why should they bother going to the railway station and asking for something that’s going to be denied? I had thought in a similar line till I went to the station for getting the monthly pass.