Railways has sought clearance for a card that can be used for locals, BEST buses and taxis
A year from now, Mumbaikars will be able to hop on to any mode of public transport, shop in malls, dine at fine restaurants and catch a movie at multiplexes with the help of just one card.
Taking the lead in implementing the Centre's plan to roll out a National Common Mobility Card, which found a mention in the Union Budget, the Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation that executes suburban rail improvement projects in the city has sought the approval of the Railway Board for NCMC for Mumbai.
The railways plans to roll out the NCMC through public-private participation, along the lines of the national transporter's efforts to rope in private players in few operations. It aims to cut down paper tickets and save time for commuters with the NCMC.
Nearly 78 lakh people user local trains in Mumbai every day, while thousands of queue up at railway counters to buy paper tickets. An NCMC holder would just need to tap the card on a machine and board the train, said a railway official.
"We have sent the proposal to Railway Board for NCMC card. Once it gets approved, we will call for tenders," said an official from MRVC. "We expect it to be available to the public within a year of fixing the private contractor."
The Rs 200-crore project, sources said, involves the installation of 600 card-tapping machines at every ticket counter at railway stations across the city.
Users will need to maintain a minimum balance on NCMC as the security deposit. They can refill any amount depending on their usage. This will be similar to the system used by Metro rail.
Local trains apart, the NCMC can also be used for taxi, BEST buses and Metro. "It will work like a debit or credit card," said an official. Once operational, the railways will merge its other ticket-booking platforms – UTS, mobile ticketing, ATVMs – with NCMC.
The NCMC and the tapping machines will be handled by a bank that will be picked through a tender. It will initially work on Rupay, before inducting MasterCard and Visa.
Earlier in March, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated an NCMC that will be accepted across India. On July 5, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced expanding this card.
Such a card for all modes of transport was first conceived in 2006. It was implemented the next year as 'Go Mumbai' card, but was scrapped fours years later.
Common Mobility
- Railways has sought clearance for a card that can be used for locals, BEST buses and taxis
- This is part of the Centre’s National Common Mobility Card initiative
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