Ahmedabad civic body’s New Year gift to city: BRTS smart card

Two years after the deadline, Ahmedabad Janmarg Ltd (AJL) finally launched Smart Card for commuters using Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) service. It was launched by chief minister Narendra Modi during the closing ceremony of Kankaria carnival on Saturday. It will be available to commuters from January 1.

The AJL had planned to introduce a Smart Card for BRTS way back in January 2010 but contractors roped in for the project failed to complete it within the given time limit. The contractor was sacked and another roped in for the project.

The smart card will be available for commuters at a non-refundable price of Rs25. It can be recharged by paying Rs50 or more in denominations of 50. The Smart Card with lifetime validity will allow commuters to board a BRTS bus without buying a paper ticket.

Commuters will have to pay a fine of Rs100 if they enter a bus station without swiping the card. They can travel for 100 minutes after swiping the card once during a journey; otherwise, they will have to pay the maximum fare.

Commuters will have to pay Rs25 for a duplicate card; the balance on their lost card will be transferred to the new card. A Smart Card will be issued free of cost in case there is a technical fault or a problem in reading the card.

The AJL plans to link the Smart Card with the feeder bus system and also with the parking system in future.