[vigsom]

Introduction

Way back when Whatsapp was a craze (or a rage), it was quite a while until I registered myself on the app and there's been no looking back since. Same with the much touted Digiyatra - I've seen for myself how a colleague departing Pune Airport with only cabin baggage, arrived quite late (courtesy mad traffic at Magarpatta), used the Digiyatra gate to swiftly enter the terminal at 2030hrs, and still made it to his 2105hrs flight just in time. Despite seeing this seamless entry of my colleague, I didn't get onto Digiyatra until a few days ago. Reason - late adopter of tech!

The run up to being Digiyatra-ised

Ever since I saw that last minute entry of my colleague, I've always wondered if there was some catch and why everyone is so keen to enrol folks onto Digiyatra. I've seen

1. scores of bluish green jacketed employees at Bengaluru Airport soliciting passengers to get onto Digiyatra,
2. a dedicated counter for registering for Digiyatra,
3. annoucements about Digiyatra on all aircraft I've flown on the domestic circuit
4. the first few gates at Bengaluru T1 being converted to Digiyatra ONLY gates making the non digital folks move to Gate6 at Bengaluru Terminal1
7. making walks longer to non-Digiyatra security check points too

yet, was stubborn not to give in.

What made me eventually Digiyatra-ize?

As examples - when filing IT returns, when applying for Aadhar based vehicle transfer of ownership, registering for GST, availing a mobile SIM etc., the Aadhar portal is accessed and only after the OTP is provided do things move. Since I travel a lot and was keen on experiencing tech finally, I thought to myself, " If the system doesn't breach my security beyond just accessing my face, it is a calculated risk I'll take for providing myself with a convenience, because I use the airports a lot"

[vigsom]

Quick steps I followed to Digiyatra-ize myself

Accessed the app on the playstore, downloaded it, registered myself using the same number that I have linked to my Aadhar, provided my credentials in the form of Aadhar, the OTP I received from UIDAI site, then took a pic of myself and was all set. Uploaded my boarding pass and I said I was ready to enter the airport in style the next morning.

Registration/ Login Page



Profile screen



Credentials page to click on Aadhar and validate via OTP


Entry in style was not to be

When I walked up to the Digiyatra gate in style, I was asked by the CISF personnel if I'd registered on Digiyatra at the Airport to which I replied I'd done it at home the previous evening, to which I got a reply, " Woh app to yahan kaam nahi kar raha hai" ( that is not working here). The CISF person was kind enough to ask me for my boarding pass and ID (legacy system) and allow me in. I said, " Huh, so much for digital", post which I got into the terminal, checked my bag in, and moved to security check. There, I joined the Digiyatra queue, looked at the screen and bingo, I was in seamlessly. I wondered - how could I not enter at the Terminal Gate while able to enter seamlessly at Security check? Welcome to the digital world!

Digiyatra Malfunction

While this experience left some questions unanswered, I got some answers by the time I reached my destination. When I tried logging into Digiyatra, I got a message stating - check your internet connection. This happened multiple times even though the first screen was opening, other websites were opening. I then went onto the official Digiyatra website, where I saw an error message to state that passengers should be prepared to use the identity card system between 26th and 31st March 2024.

[vigsom]

Journey#2 and re-Digiyatra-izing myself

On reaching the airport, I attempted an entry into the Digiyatra queue without realizing that I hadn't been able to open the app, and therefore hadn't uploaded my boarding pass for the day. As expected, the gate didn't open. I went out of the queue, spoke to one of the bluish green jacketed agents, who was very patient and told me that the app had been updated and she asked me to download the new app and re-register. I did, and when I was all set, the app wouldn't take my boarding pass in pdf. Next jugaad - took a screenshot of the boarding pass, pruned the pic, and uploaded as an image. Done in a jiffy. Went to a Digiyatra gate, looked at the screen, and lo and behold, the gate opened! Walked in, printed my bag tag, deposited my bag, moved to Security queue no.7, looked at the screen, the gate opened, and I walked past the gate like a king.

Old App (black) vs latest


First landing screen after registering - I skipped the fingerprinting


Validate Credentials via Aadhar


Consent for picking up data from UIDAI


Credentials validated after a photograph of self is validated against the pic on the Aadhar - this and the uploaded boarding pass become one's pass for smooth entry into the airport


Consent before uploading boarding pass


Boarding Pass uploaded as an image but did not take the pdf



Moral of the story

Digital can make one look like a king, or like a fool. When, like what, is a gamble. While I'm keeping the app, I look forward to more travel and hope I continue to enjoy a king type entry everytime! However, I'm also prepared to look like a fool.

[graaja]

Moving thread out of Assembly Line. Thank you for sharing!

[arnieshwartz]

I've not used Digi Yatra yet, but going by all the noise online, most recently about how users were abruptly forced to transition to a new app (and still faced issues), inability to upload boarding pass, I can understand why new users are hesitant to be onboarded. There's also the obvious data privacy concerns.

It is clearly a half baked app rushed to market that can't seem to get its basic functionality right consistently. If anything, it should still be in a beta stage.

[jithin_isaac]

I feel, just like the Electoral bonds case, even digiyatra will have to pass the test in the SC/HC some day in the foreseeable future.

The basic premise of Digiyatra being a 'private non-profit body of participating airports' and not coming under the purview of the RTI Act will cause this initiative a lot of trouble going forward.

I will personally not opt for this 'experience' and rather go to the airport an hour earlier to board via the existing systems available today, which I feel is quite adequate, if one is on time. The sheer sweet-forceful behaviour of the guys in purple uniform near the entry gates is itself quite counter-productive, to say the least!

[xotiq]

Originally Posted by arnieshwartz

I've not used Digi Yatra yet, but going by all the noise online, most recently about how users were abruptly forced to transition to a new app (and still faced issues), inability to upload boarding pass, I can understand why new users are hesitant to be onboarded. There's also the obvious data privacy concerns.

It is clearly a half baked app rushed to market that can't seem to get its basic functionality right consistently. If anything, it should still be in a beta stage.

Used DigiYatra 20+ times during the last few quarters, and surprisingly has been a seamless experience, saving time especially Delhi airport. BLR airport Digiyatra assistance is really good. Digiyatra did not work twice for me, first instance where I forgot to share the boarding pass after uploading, second instance when there was a network glitch. Travel history is retained till the app logs you out. Seeing new options for Cab, Hotels etc, which is a little disconcerting as this calls into question privacy etc. (Well- if there is something called data privacy ) Also- with so much of personally identifiable data openly available and shared, it makes little difference in opting out of a single app/service like Digiyatra.

[handsofsteel]

I first came across such a system at HongKong and Beijing airports last year wherein all I had to do was to look at the camera and it would clearly show green and allow me to walk in.(I presume photos taken from my visa, as I had not downloaded any app). I was very impressed with the backward integration.

Seeing all the hullabaloo about digiyatra, I decided to try and onboard. I don’t exactly remember what it was, but I got stuck somewhere in the process and let it go. Since then, I realised that it’s of no use to me as my son doesn’t have a mobile (and by extension a mobile number) making him ineligible. As we always travel together, me speeding by and him standing in queue doesn’t make any sense. So haven’t tried again. Is there a workaround for minors that I’m not aware of?

[arnieshwartz]

Originally Posted by handsofsteel

Is there a workaround for minors that I’m not aware of?

There's now an option to add the credentials of a minor using their Aadhaar number itself. The OTP is delivered to the registered contact number (presumably that of the guardian) and the workflow proceeds the same as for an adult, including an image capture of the face for matching purposes.

[autobahnjpr]

Digiyatra is a great time saver and gives you the VIP feel when you bypass the queue and enter the airport without waiting. No fishing out boarding passes, ID proofs etc. as you just stand there and wait for the gate to be opened after the scan is done. For last couple of travels, I have taken no hard copy of boarding pass etc. and always use the digiyatra app to scan my boarding pass at entrance, security gate and during boarding. Truly Digital India.

[GTO]

Big fan of Digiyatra here and I use it frequently at the Mumbai & Delhi airports. Bangalore experience was the best = there was even a separate security check area for those with Digiyatra. It was totally empty. Put my bag & laptop through the screening, and walked through the security check in 30 seconds.

Digiyatra helps with quicker entry and just making things more convenient. Why fish out your boarding pass & driving licence when you can simply flash your face & smile? Recently, a combination of Digiyatra + Porter + automated check-in at the Delhi airport took me from the airport entrance to boarding gate in 15 minutes .

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by arnieshwartz

There's now an option to add the credentials of a minor using their Aadhaar number itself. The OTP is delivered to the registered contact number (presumably that of the guardian) and the workflow proceeds the same as for an adult, including an image capture of the face for matching purposes.

Correct (if I understand correctly) for minors over 5 years of age. Below 5 years I believe DigiYatra is not activated yet.

The person escorting CAN use the DigiYatra lane, but the infant and his/her ID proof / boarding card will be manually scanned and verified as usual. However, different airports may have tweaked this based on CISF and BCAS circulars.

[cdrajeevkumar]

Digiyatra was a real boon when my spouse recently travelled from BLR- DEL route. Due to massive jam on NH4 (Gorguntepalya Junction, notorious for choc-a-block jams), she was left with 35 mins when she arrived at the security gate (outside airport). Digiyatra did the trick and she was inside in a jiffy!

Checkin was closed so they directed her to proceed to boarding gate with the checkin baggage! Security was also a breeze as they had dedicated line for Digiyatra. She could manage to reach the boarding gate exactly 15 mins before departure & thanks to the staff, they had the gate open to board her!

We are taking baby steps to have a seamless entry but how the data is being used, will always remain a mystery.

[ghodlur]

I have been a regular user of Digi yatra and for the past few months it was beneficial to use the same. I was wary about the initial teething problems which I had faced but I guess all if not most of them have been resolved.

Today morning when I accessed the app for updating the boarding the app behaved weirdly and didnt allow me to login. I had to uninstall and install the app post which the boarding pass were share smoothly.

The pics which I took for Aadhar authentication and my Aadhar pic look horrific on the app, hope nobody take a second look at them.

[gauravdgr8]

Been using Digiyatra since launch and has been a breeze at the airports. Most of my trips are business and am travelling lite, which makes it easier with Digiyatra. Hyderabad airport even has a seperate entry for Digiyatra, where the security check is also completed, and it takes you straight to the gate, bypassing the whole airport line.