They talk on TV about how to build a country in Sri Lanka. They talk on YouTube. There are big debates. They talk about how to work fast in the smart city. Oh my god.
After listening to them, I went to book a ticket at the Colombo Fort Railway station. Those who come to those TV discussions and are going to build their country feel like they are going to do it online. Because it is just talk for years. This world is useless. Nothing has changed in years, not decades. People are still scrambling to get a ticket today. They say it is online, the system says that tickets will run out in an hour. When you go to the Three wheel park in front of the Railway station, there are tickets for a thousand . So, my God, we appoint people who cannot build such a small thing and expect great things from them. ?
Lao Rail Ticket
The ticket app there is Chinese. Chinese and Lao people can use the app, but we, as tourists, cannot book directly online. But if we have seats on the trains, we can book tickets for any place on that route from any of the relevant railway stations even a week in advance. We can also book tickets from the hotel we are staying at or from a travel agency. Those people book through the app and give us a small margin for that booking. If a ticket costs two thousand like in Sri Lanka, it will cost eight thousand, and we will not go anywhere in the world.
Cancellation
We also had to cancel tickets during the trip. During that cancellation, the new train we booked was cheaper than the train we booked earlier, so we ended up with a refund. But there is only one chance to change that. That was only if tickets were available for those trains on the day we were looking. If that was the case, without any fuss, the Lao lady at the counter changed the ticket and gave us the new ticket and the remaining money. We were also able to see how the ticket was booked on the screen.
We also saw a way to cancel the ticket completely and get a refund. Although we couldn't ask for more details due to the language barrier, the system was designed in a way that anyone could easily book tickets even if they didn't speak the language.
What do you need?
Of course, you need a passport to book tickets on Lao and Chinese trains. Lao people probably have an ID. Chinese people can also book with an ID. Then, when we go, we need to go to the station with the document that we showed when we booked. If we are a foreigner, we need to show our passport. The person who books the ticket puts the name and passport number on the ticket as it appears on the passport. It is checked at the station. Very simple.
Even if you book through the app, you probably need to put the passport details in the same way. Because when you enter the station, I saw everyone's passport tickets being checked. Since this train passes through two countries, China and Laos, there is more security at every station. They check bags like at the airport. But there is more security and it doesn't take long to check the tickets. The queue is over in two or three minutes.
Why can't we put the passport details on every ticket in our country? Why can't we make it mandatory and use the system like that? Without such details, is it impossible to book a ticket? I don't know them. But I think the white-clad gentlemen at Sri Lankan stations are getting something out of the Sri Lankan ticket system.
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