The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has stopped issuing its closed-loop smart cards, replacing these with National Common Mobility Cards (NCMCs) introduced by the Centre in 2019 as part of its ‘one nation, one card’ push for seamless travel across various modes of transportation.
A closed-loop smart card is one that can be used with a specific transit provider or authority against an open-loop card like the NCMC, which can be used across multiple modes of transportation.
An official said there has been a gradual withdrawal of DMRC prepaid cards to encourage the adoption of the NCMCs. “This was done on the orders of the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs,” he said. The official said the new cards are being provided at all metro stations.
Commuters are required to share their contact number and give the provider a one-time password they receive on their mobile phones at the time of applying for the cards. As in previous arrangement, a commuter shells out ₹50 to acquire it.
According to data accessed by The Hindu, DMRC has sold over five lakh NCMCs since 2020.
However, commuters are yet to come to terms with the new idea due to privacy concerns.
Spam calls
Rashi Gupta, 27, who takes a metro from Chhattarpur to Rajiv Chowk daily to reach office, said she was taken in for surprise a few days ago when she lost her DMRC smart card and was told that she would have to procure a common mobility card.
“I was not willing to buy a mobility card from a private company at all but DMRC officials, despite my pleadings, refused to issue their routine prepaid card that did not require the linking of any mobile phone number,” said Ms. Gupta.
Many commuters said they started receiving spam calls after transitioning to new cards.
“As soon as I got my NCMC, I started receiving calls from the provider to complete my KYC and use it for shopping purposes as well,” said Rajita, 32.
Published – October 08, 2024 01:44 am IST