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Ahmedabad, Oct. 16 Online travel agency Cleartrip.com, which launched online booking of tickets for train travel on September 24 in partnership with Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), would introduce cash card facility for those who do not have credit or debit cards or Internet banking facility.

“We are working on it and would introduce the new facility shortly,” Mr Tarique Khatri, Vice-President, Business Development, told Business Line after the launch of online train booking in Gujarat.

In the western State, Cleartrip.com has seen nine per cent of train bookings, including 40 per cent from Ahmedabad, during the last three weeks of inception of the new product.

Cleartrip.com was launched in July 2006. It reportedly commands 30 per cent market share. With gross sales of Rs 2 crore a day, its turnover in 2007-08 was nearly Rs 730 crore, said sources. With air travel witnessing a steep 15 per cent fall in India recently, Cleartrip.com hopes to tap the increasing dependence on railways.

Within two weeks of the launch of online train booking, it was receiving requests for over 1,000 bookings daily, Mr Khatri said. However, unlike IRCTC, Cleartrip.com will not facilitate booking of i-tickets.

Online booking is expected to contribute 10 per cent to Cleartrip.com’s topline this year.

More Stories on : Railways | E-Commerce & E-Business | Gujarat

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