Delhi: Soon, one card for Delhi Metro as well as buses for travellers

Travellers in Delhi will soon be able to use the same cards for purchasing bus tickets and riding the metro. This is in line with the Delhi government's efforts to integrate their system with the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC).

Additional transit options will be incorporated in the future to enhance convenience. The transport department will offer NCMC-compliant card purchase options to the public.
A senior official of the transport department said, "If all goes as per plan, the department would be able to execute it in three months."
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Referring to this, Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot added that the technical evaluation of submitted bids is complete, and that the project will be implemented soon. This initiative not only aims to electronically integrate the public transport payment system but also to advance digitalization and potentially unify various transit operators on a single platform in the future.

The initial phase of the project will include the deployment of electronic ticketing machines (ETMs) for 7,500 buses and the provision of smart NCMC cards for ticket purchases. The plan is to enable NCMC cards for offline payments for multi-modal transit. Once completed, this integrated platform will connect various modes of transport, such as buses and the metro, and may eventually include autos and cabs, offering commuters a more convenient journey.
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This comprehensive digital solution is expected to eliminate the possibility of pilferage and theft. Additionally, the ETMs will issue pink tickets, allowing women to travel for free. Delhi's extensive bus network, which includes 7,000 DTC and DIMTS buses, serves 3.3 million passengers on average daily, making it the most widely used form of public transportation in the city.
The introduction of digital ticketing aligns with the route rationalization study conducted by the transport department, providing valuable insights into the exact number of people traveling on specific routes at any given time.