KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT UNIVERSAL TRAVEL PASS

“It’s not about what you need; it’s about what your family needs if you’re not there.”

Since the unprecedented pandemic hit the world, there have been confusion and impacts due to the lockdown restriction. Industries like food, hotel, and entertainment got seriously affected in this period. One of the most affected industries was the travel sector. Not only the businesses but people are also affected negatively by not being able to travel for work or personal travel across the country. However, after the vaccination procedures, the travel industry gained a secure way to travel with the launch of the Universal Travel Pass’. It is like a safe ticket to help travel anywhere across the country quickly and hassle-free. Let’s take a look at what a Universal Travel Pass represents and how does it work.

What is a Universal Travel Pass?

A Universal Travel Pass is an electronic pass with a QR code that simply allows full-vaccinated people to travel in public transport. Be it locally, like in offices, malls, and railway stations, OR even for intercity travel. This idea originated from the Maharashtra state, disaster management authority, as they looked at easy travel in local trains and metros in the COVID-19 situation post all the vaccinations. Recently, the pass has been adopted by the Central Government and is applicable to all the citizens of the country.

This pass has five different levels of travel for medical, utilities, education categories, and so on. The primary purpose of this pass is unrestricted travel across the country, including public places for fully vaccinated people against COVID-19. One can apply for this pass once fourteen days are completed post the second dose of the vaccination. This pass is available to apply for and download online as well. The Universal Travel Pass helps to negate the need to physically identify fully vaccinated people and ensures seamless travel across the country.

Elements of the Universal Travel Pass

So, having known the importance of the Universal Travel Pass to travel locally or across the country, let’s see what does a Universal Travel Pass consists of.

The Universal Travel Pass has the following information mentioned on it;

• Name of pass-holder
• Gender of pass-holder
• Age of the pass-holder
• Travel category level
• Photo of the pass-holder
• QR code setup
• The beneficiary ID of pass-holder
• Dates of first and second vaccine doses of vaccine taken

Application of the Universal Travel Pass

The Universal Travel Pass can be applied by any citizen of the country with both the doses of vaccination completed. This pass is only applicable for adults above eighteen years of age and does not include children. Even, business establishments in the medical, utilities, and educational sectors are eligible for the Universal travel pass for their fully vaccinated personnel. Only on completion of fourteen days post the second dose of vaccine can this pass be applied for. This pass is readily available for application and downloads online with easy steps to follow. Once on the Universal Travel Pass application site, by entering the mobile number and subsequent OTP, the vaccinated applicants’ details appear on the screen. By choosing Generate Pass option and uploading the latest photograph, one can efficiently complete the application procedure for the Universal Travel Pass. The link to download and print comes within forty-eight hours of the completion of the application process online. The link can be saved for a soft copy of the pass, and it can be printed to possess a hard copy of the pass.

The documents required for the Universal Travel pass application include;

• Aadhar card
• Voter’s ID
• Registered mobile number
• For business establishments application – the additional documents include;
  • Registered Company
  • Registration certificate
  • Industrial papers

In summary, Universal Travel Pass is introduced by the Government to let travel be possible in a secure manner during the pandemic and its after-effects. It can be used for smooth travel in public transport. However, keep in mind, the Universal Travel Pass is not eligible for travel outside the country. To travel abroad, one shall need a COVID-19 vaccination certificate along with relevant travel insurance.

FAQs – Frequently asked questions.

Q1. Does the QR code on the Universal travel pass help certify travel?

Yes, the QR code is authenticated by public transport authorities while travelling during the pandemic.

Q2. Is the travel with Universal Travel Pass been done level-wise?

Yes, the system allows people to travel in the local trains based on the level of restrictions imposed in the particular city. For example, your city is in level 3 restriction. So, a person with a degree 3 pass will only be allowed to travel if the restrictions in effect are of levels 1, 2, or 3. In case the person has a degree 2 pass, the travel will be limited to 1 or 2 level restrictions. Similarly, a person having a degree 5 pass can access any public transport regardless of the level of restrictions.

Q3. Is there a customer service that helps in case of error during online application to the Universal travel pass?

Yes, for any support, the contact or email id from the Universal travel pass registration site can be used