Close on the heels of its older sibling BEST, the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) has announced that it will increase it bus fares, the first fare hike since 2014. Earlier, there were 40 fare stages up to 78km with a fare increment every two kilometres. Under the new fare structure, there will be six stages for the first 30 km with fares going up every five kilometres, and for the next 50 km, there will be five stages with a fare increment every 10km, totalling 11 fare stages.
The new fare structure, shared by PMPML is as follows:
PMPML’s new revised fares as of May 2025
Under the new fare structure, daily pass rates have been revised to ₹70 for a unified pass across both city areas. For the PMRDA area, the pass rate has gone up to ₹150.
According to a report in The Free Press Journal, the new system also aims to promote digital ticketing, namely integrating PMPML ticketing with the Maha Metro-HDFC Bank One Pune Card which is an exclusive NCMC (it works in other cities but other cards won’t work on the Pune Metro). I hope that PMPML does not make it an exclusive system either and accepts all NCMCs.
Getting PMPML buses onto the NCMC platform is indeed good news as it goes a long way in promoting a common mobility card, something that makes a lot of sense in a city like Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.
Featured Image: Conductor selling tickets with a Ticket Machine (Image animated using Google Gemini)
Commuters of Bengaluru have reason to cheer. The Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has announced an upgrade to its ticketing system to enable payments using the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) that has been a demand from the public since its younger sibling, the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) enabled it in 2022-2023.
In a report titledTap, scan, go: BMTC launches smart ticketing across fleet in the Bangalore Mirror, it has been reported that digital payments made up close to 20 per cent of the corporation’s daily ticket revenue, driven by its static QR Code payments system. Interestingly, in another report titledPayment failed, Bangalore Mirror reports that UPI is not a preferred option in sub-urban, semi-urban and rural parts of the city due to connectivity issues leading to people preferring to pay cash.
As per the first report, BMTC is looking at getting Android-based ‘Smart’ Electronic Ticketing Machines (ETMs) which is kind of suspicious, since the existing machines in use are Android-powered Pine Labs machines. However, a contradiction is observed in the next paragraph, where it says that the ETMs are already in use. The demand for NCMC integration however is due to the fact that BMRCL is already using them and keeping this in mind, it would be fair to assume that BMTC won’t make the mistake of going for an ‘exclusive NCMC‘.
The ticketing upgrade will also upgrade the BMTC’s vehicle tracking capabilities, building on its Automatic Vehicle Location System (AVLS). While not reported, integration into mapping platforms using the General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) is also a likely outcome.
Another change expected as part of the upgrade is the introduction of dynamic QR codes. Interestingly, in an report published by The Hindu, there was a demand for the existing static QR code system to continue, but the demand was for conductors to carry the QR Code as a badge as it was difficult to scan the QR Codes on the walls on the bus. In all fairness, the existing setup works perfectly and both, asking the conductor to carry it or a Dynamic QR code will merely make things more difficult.
Let us see what happens. Interestingly, BMTC in 2017 had partnered up with Axis Bank to establish an EMV open-loop payment system, nearly two years before the NPCI launched the NCMC framework It was quickly phased out a year later.. Among other factors, it was reported by Christin Mathew Philip of MoneyControl in 2024, that BMTC with a daily ridership of 38 lakh was not keen on accepting the Namma Metro NCMC because BMRCL had a ridership of 7-8 lakh. A rather deluded argument, if you ask me, but I sincerely hope that this does not give the administration any ideas to go in for an exclusive NCMC. Karnataka was the after all the first state in India to introduce electronic ticketing on 15 August 2004.
Featured Image: Conductor selling tickets with a Ticket Machine (Image animated using Grok/xAI)
It’s official. The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking is finally revising its fare after slightly over five years. And while most media publications are describing it as a ‘sharp’ or ‘significant hike’ it is isn’t all too bad. The new fare structure has got approval from the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) and is currently awaiting approval from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Transport Authority (MMRTA). Officials say that the fare hike was unavoidable as the incumbent fare structure was too low and the undertaking was bleeding revenue. Prior to the fare reduction, the minimum fare in BEST’s non-AC buses was ₹8.
As per reports, the minimum fare would be doubled, essentially reaching the next fare stage of ₹10 for non-AC and ₹12 for AC buses.
The new fare structure is given below
Fare Stage
Non AC Fare
AC Fare
0-5km
₹10
₹12
5-10km
₹15
₹20
10-15km
₹20
₹30
15-20km
₹30
₹35
20-25km
₹35
₹40
The rates for weekly and monthly passes have also been raised. There will also be additional surcharges for leaving the limits of the municipal corporation and crossing toll plazas.
Featured Image: Conductor selling tickets with a Ticket Machine (Image animated using ChatGPT/OpenAI)
One untapped market for the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) is Indian Railways, especially for suburban rail services.
Currently, buying tickets on Indian Railways happens across three forms – buying directly at the counter, paid with cash of UPI, buying it on one’s phone using the UTS app or buying it at an automated ticket vending machine (ATVM) using either a prepaid smart card or UPI. In the earlier days, IR also sold coupon booklets of coupons with varying denominations that the commuter would then validate using a coupon validating machine (CVM) which essentially stamped the date and time on the coupon. This was done away as the Railways wanted the entire system to be computerised.
The existing system has a lot of issues, but implementing the NCMC shouldn’t be difficult.
For starters, it must be noted that unlike its newer counterparts – metro rail – suburban rail predominantly operates using a proof-of-payment system. You buy the ticket before boarding. The system is not too different from buses – where NCMC is already operational across many cities – with the only difference being that in the bus, the ticket is bought on-board and for the train, it is off-board.
The simplest method for this would be to allow passengers to walk up to the existing ATVM, place their NCMC on the card slot and buy the ticket. There are two types of ATVMs, one which accepts UPI or the existing smart card and one – called the Cash/Smart Card Operated Ticketing Kiosk (which for some reason is abbreviated as CoTVM – which can accept coins and banknotes as well. Only the cash input system is different, otherwise they are identical in every other way. The booking interface itself is quite easy. The machine allows you to book tickets with the aforementioned smart card, recharge the card (with UPI or cash, depending on which machine it is), print a ticket booked with the UTS app (by entering the mobile number and four-digit ticket number) and platform tickets. Beyond this, for UPI transactions, you can book with three options. Fast booking allows you to book from a preselected list of top stations, book using the map allows you to select the stations from a map and the third option, all other stations, allows you to type the station name or code and book the ticket. For smart card users, for the entire process, the card is placed in a tray below the screen. Tell me why this system should not be accepting the NCMC.
The second option would be to allow NCMC cardholders to tap-in and tap-out, akin to an automated fare system. This system has partly been tried out in India before, nearly two decades ago, with the Go Mumbai smart card that was operational in Mumbai’s suburban trains and BEST buses nearly two decades ago. However, the Go Mumbai Card operated on a fixed-fare basis, meaning, it could only be used for a specific fare stage, both for buses and trains.
To explain, I had gone to apply for one in 2006-2007. The person behind the counter at the JVPD bus station asked me which bus I took and what the fare was. Now this was a problem. By default, I took 56 from Four Bungalows Market to Santacruz Post Office for ₹5. However, if a 38 came, I would board that for ₹7. If neither came, I’d walk to ESIC Nagar and take a 79, 33 or 241 to Santacruz Station for ₹5, a 355Ltd to Santacruz Post Office for ₹6, 200 or 222 to Santacruz Post Office for ₹7. Essentially, I had two parallel routes, each with different fares and stages. Plus, on weekends, I used to go for classes which meant I’d pay ₹3 in a 56 or a 221, but one was from Four Bungalows Market and the other from Juhu Versova Link Road. Pretty complicated? Not really. The card worked on only one route on one stage. The conductor merely checked whether it was valid for that stage or not. The same happened with the train. Passengers bought it for a certain trip, between Station A and Station B, for a particular class. They’d tap it at the validating machine at both stations.
Replicating this with the NCMC should not be difficult. However, due to volume of passengers – Mumbai alone has a daily ridership of 62 lakh – implementing an absolute automatic fare system with turnstiles would be difficult. Here, having NCMC holders swipe in and swipe out and different stations would require them to do it at both stations. Ticket checkers are usually present in high-traffic stations and can be given a machine locked into that station. Presenting the NCMC there should ideally validate the swipe out so that passengers don’t have to then swipe out. Not swiping in and popping up on the machine can automatically deduct the fare from the card. However, dispute resolution mechanisms should be put in place in case the entry swipe wasn’t captured due to any technical fault.
However, the situation gets complicated due to different classes. Suburban rail in India has two classes by default – second and first class – with Mumbai and now Chennai also having a third one in the form of air-conditioned trains. The only incumbent rapid transit system with multiple classes in India is the NCRTC’s Namo Bharat RapidX train where premium class passengers cross two turnstiles, one at the concourse level to enter the ticketed area and once again at the platform level to access the premium lounge and coach. This may not work well on suburban trains simple because there are multiple first class coaches spread across the train and the issue will be further compounded when trains of different lengths arrive on the platform. A secondary solution can be to set up a second machine inside the compartment itself or mounted on the exterior wall that can be tapped on entry. But given the crowds, how practical this can be, remains to be seen. If such a system is established, then it would require a separate machine for purchasing platform tickets as well. Nearly two decades ago, South Western Railway had installed ticket vending machines at the KSR Bengaluru City railway station to sell platform tickets. These German machines, built by Hectronic were coin operated, but fell into disuse when platform ticket fares went up and the coin size the machine was designed for was no longer being minted. An NCMC-enabled version is simple. Tap it and it just prints a ticket. Tap it mulitple times for multiple tickets.
However, since the NCMC in its current form doesn’t seem to support passes, season tickets would become problematic.
Allowing for the NCMC to be used to buy tickets using the ATVM, seems to be the best way to get the Indian Railways on to the NCMC bandwagon.
Featured Image: A generic NCMC being held up against a Western Railways AC Local in Mumbai (Image generated via Sora/ChatGPT/OpenAI)
So, one interesting debate that has happened recently is the question of which is better on a bus – the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) or the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC).
Interestingly, a lot of people (who don’t seem to use public transport, as evident from their tone) believe that UPI is a far superior option. In fact, in one discussion on Twitter (I refuse to call it X), I was told by a self-described techbro that UPI is convenient as people have their phones handy and use UPI to buy chai and flowers, and specified that taking out the wallet to take out an additional card in a crowded bus was a burden and not advisable. Sure, but typing out my UPI PIN in front of 30 other people is kosher. Or making others wait while you enter your pin, and the transaction takes its time is absolutely alright.
But let us not digress. We’re now solely looking at which is better, NCMC or UPI. UPI is a great option if either you or the conductor does not have change (or cash for that matter) and you don’t have an NCMC as well. Conversely, if everyone is accepting NCMC and you have one, you can use it here too, right?
Now, in order to test this hypothesis (if you can call it one that is), I used both NCMC and UPI to buy tickets. I used the NCMC at two places: BEST in Mumbai and MTC in Chennai and UPI at two places: BMTC in Bengaluru and MTC in Chennai.
Let’s start with NCMC. It’s easy to use. In most cases, you hand over the card, say NCMC or Metro Card and that gets the job done. With BEST, I was unsure if my RBL NCMC would work, the conductor reassured me by saying that “he’d make sure it worked”, while with MTC, I have told most conductors that it is a valid card and that I have used it before but eventually they accept it. The whole process is quick, takes about five seconds and is often faster than cash because the conductor does not have to count for change. There’s really not much to say because it is a fairly simple and straightforward process. The only time consuming part is to convince the conductor that the card is valid. This has happened with my RBL, Ongo and Airtel cards.
An NCMC ticket issued by BEST (Pic: BESTpedia)
The only issue is that the card needs to be topped up after 20 or so transactions (some lame protection feature apparently) and this happened with me recently. The conductor topped my card up for ₹0. Since my phone supports NFC, I figure the easiest workaround for this is to top up the card for smaller amounts, rather than loading it up for the entire ₹2000 that the card can support.
Another issue is that of the Merchant Discount Rate (MDR). Some transport companies charge extra for this, such as BEST, while most absorb it into their fares. Here is a quick breakdown of BEST’s MDR charges for different fare stages (Regular/Limited/Express/AC): ₹5 – 6 paise ₹10 – 11 Paise ₹15 – 16 paise ₹20- 22 paise ₹6- 7 paise ₹13- 14 paise ₹19- 21 paise ₹25- 27 paise
An NCMC ticket issued by MTC (Pic: BESTpedia)
Now, coming to UPI. This is where things get interesting. I’ve used two different methods of paying via UPI. One is with a static QR Code on BMTC and the other is with a dynamic QR Code on MTC.
A UPI ticket issued by BMTC (Pic: BESTpedia)
Now, the BMTC model is very simple. BMTC began accepting UPI payments in 2020, during the lockdown to reduce contact between passengers and commuters. BMTC Finally Starts Cashless Ticketing, Uses UPI-Based QR Codes For Transactions Each bus has its own virtual payment address (VPA, often erroneously referred to as UPI ID) which is the bus’ registration number attached to a Canara Bank Account; Eg: KA57Fxxxx@cnrb. QR Codes for the same are pasted in different parts of the bus, and in some cases, they are also present in the transparent grab handles of the bus.
BMTC QR Code Sticker on the bus (Pic: BESTpedia)
In my case, neither the conductor, nor I had change, so he told me to scan the QR Code and pay. I did, showed him the successful transaction screen and he issued the ticket. This method is extremely popular with passengers using it for as low as ₹5. However, there seems to be no way for the conductor to validate the payment. However, since the ticket machine being used is a standard Pine Labs point-of-sale device, maybe it appears there. This being said, it is high time that BMTC and Canara Bank adopted the NCMC. The process is reasonably fast, although it depends on how fast your internet connection is and multiple people can pay simultaneously making it relatively faster than dynamic QR Codes.
A UPI ticket issued by MTC (Pic: BESTpedia)
Now, coming to the Dynamic QR Code. Here, the conductor has four options on the ETM – Card, UPI, NCMC and Cash. When the conductor selects UPI, it generates a dynamic code that one scans and makes the payment. This is time consuming since it also depends on the speed of the internet on the ETM as well. Only after the QR Code is generated, can you make the payment. Thus, the total time taken to print the ticket takes close to 10-15 seconds. A downside according to me is that the QR Code appeared as invalid on MobiKwik, forcing me to use GPay. The QR Code must be compatible with all payment apps under NPCI’s BharatQR system.
MTC QR Code displayed on the ETM (Pic: BESTpedia)
Overall, it seems that the NCMC is ahead, but let me share two instances that make it the clear winner.
The first instance. A few weeks back, I was traveling to Bangalore. Now recently I have been getting off at Shanthinagar TTMC (Atal Bihari Vajpayee TTMC ) and taking a bus back home. I usually pay by cash but on this day, I had only a ₹500 note on me. This was the week after I first used UPI to buy a ticket. Unfortunately for me, my phone battery ran out, and for some reason, my phone refused to charge, either from my battery pack or from the USB port on the bus. (The cable was at fault, I bought a new one). Which meant that without a phone, I had to pay in cash, which was also a problem since I didn’t have change. Eventually I managed to make change at a shop inside the terminal, albeit the shopkeeper gave it to me grudgingly.
The second instance is a more recent one. On 12 April, UPI services faced a five-hour long outage. This was the longest in over three years and one of four such outages over a three week span.
Now, both these instances were unprecedented and of course problematic.
So, what could be the solution? Going back to the Card? Maybe. At least with Transit.
UPI was introduced to ensure that transactions were conducted domestically, therefore reducing their costs. But then, NCMC is entirely built atop the RuPay platform which operates domestically, unlike Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover.
This is not to put down UPI however. It is a fantastic platform. However, in cases like public transport, which experiences high volume density of transactions, it makes more sense to use the NCMC.
What are your thoughts? Do let me know in the comments section below.
It was Saturday, 16 March 2024. I walked into the Vanaz metro station in Pune, asked the Customer Care if my NCMC would work (they said yes) and then crossed security. When I swiped my card at the turnstile, it refused to work. I tried multiple times and it still didn’t work. I then walked back to the counter and was asked to show my card. Back then I was using an RBL Bank issued Namma Metro NCMC from Bangalore. On seeing my card, the customer care agent curtly replied, “This card won’t work. You need to get our NCMC”. I know, it didn’t make sense then and it doesn’t make sense even now. Eventually I settled on buying a ticket to PMC Bhavan so that I’d take a bus back. I was originally planning to try out both lines but now I’d have to buy different tickets, instead of just swiping in and out as I had originally planned. Totally dampened my spirits and left me unable to even enjoy the Titagarh Firema trains that I had been looking forward to ever since they released the first render. To make matters worse, it turns out that when I tried to pay for my tickets using UPI, it didn’t work on either Amazon Pay or MobiKwik. Yeah, I’m not big on GPay or PhonePe. Eventually I settled for paying in cash. It seems Mahametro was pulling out all the stops to ensure that all the interoperability that the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) strived to ensure under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious Digital India mission would fail. The interesting thing was that barely a month ago, one Bhaumik Gowande had shared on Twitter (now X) that he had successfully used his HDFC Bank-issued Pune Metro NCMC on the Delhi Metro. Eventually I confirmed with multiple people that no other card worked on the Pune Metro. Two days later, I was in Mumbai where I used the same RBL Bank NCMC without issues on Mumbai Metro’s Line 1 and Line 7 as well as on a BEST Bus.
This has been a total disappointment so far since I’m the guy who used to travel a lot between Mumbai and Pune and I always got off at Chembur and made my way to Ghatkopar before heading to Andheri by metro. The metro would seem to be the obvious choice coming back to Pune as well. If I caught a bus heading to Pune Station via Pimpri-Chinchwad, I’d get down at PCMC Bhavan, if Swargate via Chandani Chowk then at Vanaz. I sincerely hope that the PMRDA/Pune IT City Metro Rail/Tata-Siemens line does not do the same mistake since a lot of people would get off at Bhujbal Chowk and take the metro to either Hinjewadi or the rest of Pune City.
Over the next few months, I heard that the issue was there even on Nagpur Metro, another MahaMetro Line. This got me thinking and after reaching out to a few more friends, I unearthed more. It wasn’t just Pune and Nagpur but also Kochi and Noida for metro and Ahmedabad and Surat for buses.
Then I stumbled upon NPCI’s list of live members and everything made sense. Noida’s City1, Ahmedabad’s Janmitra, Surat’s SuratMoney, Kochi’s Kochi1, Nagpur’s MahaCard and Pune’s OnePune Card were all ‘exclusive NCMCs”, although that makes no sense. That’s neither National, nor Common. Or, to quote someone who replied to me when I was ranting about my Pune experience, NCMC in these cities stood for “Nahi chalega, M*****c***”.
Now, just imagine the irony of this. The NCMC in its current form was launched six years ago, coincidentally on my birthday, by the BJP government and was promoted extensively as ‘One Nation, One Card’ everywhere. The RBL Namma Metro NCMC from Bangalore in fact even says these four words on the front of the card. Of the six cities where this exclusivity is seen, five of them are in BJP-ruled states. Oh, the delicious irony. I’ve already explained why this is a bad idea for the Mumbai-Pune belt already but here me out.
In Noida, as part of the National Capital Region (NCR), there are three metro systems adjacent to it that accept NCMC – Delhi Metro, RapidX, Rapid Metro Rail Gurgaon (RMRG). You can count Delhi Metro twice if you want to count the Airport Express line as independent and skip RMRG since it is practically a part of Delhi Metro since IL&FS went bankrupt. It gets worse considering that in the near future, the Meerut Metro will open up and since it is an extension of RapidX, you can use the NCMC there with a breeze but just not in Noida and Greater Noida.
Now come down to Amdavad where the Gujarat Metro Rail Corp (GMRC, formerly MEGA) accepts any NCMC across its network. But the Janmitra Card, issued by the Ahmedabad Smart City Corporation through ICICI Bank is the only card that works on the Janmarg BRTS, AMTS buses, and for entry at Kankaria Lake and the Sabarmati Riverfront. So you still need to carry two cards here.
Surat remains fairly fine in the current scenario but once the Mumbai-Amdavad HSR line opens up, and the Surat Metro as well, what will happen? People will be traveling a lot between these cities and it will be the repeat of the Mumbai-Pune debacle. Kochi, alone remains fairly isolated in this mess but I’ve been told that Axis Bank requires you to go through the entire KYC process once a year. Ironically one transit fan once made fun of me saying Kochi was the first to launch NCMC and Mumbai and Bangalore had a lot of catching up to do. That must be stinging him today.
Further, what if this causes existing transport operators who accept any NCMC to start accepting only their own NCMC?
So, to NPCI, MahaMetro, Noida Metro Rail Corp, Kochi Metro Rail Corp, Amdavad and Surat Municipal Corporations, can we set aside this nonsense and truly embrace a common mobility card? One that works everywhere? One that doesn’t need me to buy your card when I have a perfectly functioning card already? My current Airtel Payments Bank Card has successfully been used on six systems as of now – Mumbai Metro One, Maha Mumbai Metro, BEST buses, Bangalore’s Namma Metro, Chennai Metro and MTC buses. As I travel, I will be using the card on other systems that support any and all NCMCs.
The very concept of an ‘exclusive NCMC’ beats the very concept of the card itself. I hope the NPCI and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), the implementing agency for the NCMC take note of this to make things easier for commuters.
One phrase that has been going on for the past few years in the transit scene is the National Common Mobility Card, or NCMC, sometimes going by the name One Nation, One Card as well. So, what is the NCMC, how does it work and how does one get it?
The answer is simple. The NCMC is essentially an EMV (Europay, Mastercard and Visa) compatible open-loop card that can be used for transit almost anywhere in India. The NCMC is a RuPay (usually Prepaid, sometimes Debit) card issued by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) through a bank. In principle, any RuPay card (Prepaid and Debit) can be used as an NCMC after a service area creation (you present the card to the customer care at the metro station and ask them to do so) and after that it works. Just ensure that the RuPay Contactless symbol is visible on the card. The transit balance is known as the ‘Offline’ or ‘Contactless’ balance and is not the same as the balance that can be used for regular swipe transactions.
Now comes the common question, what if you, like me, don’t want a regular debit or credit card shoved down my throat and just want a card purely for transit purposes?
So it turns out NPCI has three variants of the RuPay Contactless. The first is a Debit Card that is linked to a savings bank account and has the following limits: ₹2,000 for transit payments, ₹5,000 for contactless PoS payments, ₹10,000 for ATM withdrawals and ₹25,000 for shopping (regular payments). The second is the Minimum KYC Wallet that allows for the same ₹2,000 limit for transit payments and ₹9,000 for PoS payments (shopping) and drops support for ATM withdrawals. The last one is the Prepaid Payment Instrument (PPI) card that acts as a standalone transit card with a limit of ₹2,000 for transit payments only.
Now, most transit companies that are accepting NCMC (You can check out the full list by clicking here) will issue a card either after minimum KYC or even no KYC. For minimum KYC, they will ask for your ID proof, either PAN or Aadhaar and a phone number. For no KYC, you don’t even need that. If you’re in Chennai, you can get a no KYC Ongo NCMC through vending machines at various stations. If you’re in Mumbai, you can get the Airtel NCMC with just your phone number and a one-time password (OTP) at any Blue Line (Line 1) station.
If you get an NCMC at either a metro station or bus terminal, then you will likely not have to create a service area for it. You can just directly use it.
Now, coming to the next part – recharging your NCMC. An NCMC can be recharged anywhere where it is accepted. That means you can recharge it at the customer care of the metro station you used it at or at the depot of the bus transco that you used it at. Alternatively, you can also recharge it online, using the bank’s website or the bank’s app. Note. Online recharges require the card to be topped up before they can be used. You can do this at any of the card validating machines at the metro station, or if you have NFC capabilities on your phone, you can do it then and there. If you’re recharging at a metro station, do ask the staff once. Some metro systems have awkward regulations, such as Chennai Metro not allowing UPI transactions for non-SBI cards to be recharged.
Where the NCMC won’t work
Now comes an interesting thing. There are some cases where your existing NCMC may not work even though the system is fully NCMC compliant. These are: Noida Metro, Kochi Metro, Pune Metro, Nagpur Metro, Ahmedabad Janmarg (BRTS), Ahmedabad City buses (AMTS) and Surat Citilink (BRTS). Why? According to NPCI, these systems are exclusive systems which means that only their NCMCs will be accepted there but not others. However, these NCMCs will be valid on all the other non-exclusive systems. To quote NPCI: “Exclusive NCMC project means a single bank is selected by a transit operator who acts as issuer as well as acquirer.” Further, NPCI also states that “NCMC cards of other banks will also get accepted in future as decided by Authority.”
A more detailed article on this will follow soon.
So now, you know how the NCMC works, how to get one, how to recharge it and how to use it. So go on out, start traveling and let me know. If you run into any trouble or find out something interesting about the NCMC, do drop a note in the comments below.
Note: I personally recommend getting the Airtel Payments Bank NCMC. It has so far been problem-free, allows me to track my payments properly and more.
Public transit in India has a problem of plenty, on multiple levels. Plenty of obstacles, that is.
Obstacles, such as lack of political will to plan and execute projects at the state level, the Not-In-My-Backyard (NIMBY) syndrome among persons who may or may not be affected by a planned project, a militant civil society, among various others.
One of these obstacles also include the variety of fare collection media. Most cities of India have not been able to replicate successful projects, like Oyster (London), Octopus (Hong Kong), Nol (Dubai), OMNY (New York), on their public transit systems, demonstrating a lack of coordination between the different public transit system operators. Most of such attempts – such as the GO MUMBAI card, designed for a single ticketing system on the BEST and the Mumbai Local – failed miserably, due to the transit operators’ resistance, or a half-baked product, or a private contractor lacking the required expertise to support the project, etc, or a mix of all of them[1]. Although, to be fair, the public transit systems in cities like London, Hong Kong, Dubai, New York etc are run directly or indirectly by a unified city-level transit agency, like Transport for London, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York), Roads and Transport Authority (Dubai) and MTR Corporation (Hong Kong) – something which, as conventional wisdom suggests, may be in the realm of impossibility in India.
A national common mobility card had been on the drawing board since 2010. The card was titled “More” – a reference to the peacock – and was first launched in Delhi, for unified payments on the Delhi Metro and DTC buses. This too, failed, due to a lack of effort from all stakeholders. Delhi Metro, DTC and the Rapid Metro Gurgaon now have the ONE DELHI card, a closed-loop system.
In view of the failures of the past on this front, the Modi government launched the National Common Mobility Card in 2019, with a different approach this time. This time, banks too were involved in the project, and so was the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)[2]. Under this new approach, NCMC wasn’t launched as one card, but as a set of technological standards developed by Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL), the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), and the NPCI, to be adopted by all transit operators and projects, who are free to choose their own issuer and acquirer banks to run their respective fare collection and management projects. NCMCs mandatorily have to be RuPay contactless cards issued by banks – debit, credit or prepaid – making them eligible to be used for purposes other than public transit fares too.[3] Due to them being RuPay cards issued by banks, it is easy to scale up operations for public transit systems not using automated fare collection (AFC) systems, such as buses.
While now is the closest India has ever come to a truly “national” common mobility card, there is still a long way to go. Cities like Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, continue to be very heavily reliant on suburban railway services operated by the concerned zones of the Indian Railways, by using legacy infrastructure. Most importantly, suburban railways, like the mainline long-distance operations, use the proof-of-payment system (PoP) for fare collection. The PoP system entails passengers buying tickets from the ticket windows or online (through the UTS app), and then using the train. The only fare control system, in this case, are random checks by ticket examining staff onboard or at the destination. Most of the times, these random checks are limited to AC trains, and the first-class carriages on non-AC trains. Thus, this makes for a highly inefficient mode of fare collection, control and management, due to the high possibility of fare evasion by passengers.
However, there seems to be no viable alternative to PoP systems on suburban railways. While suburban rail systems currently under construction, such as K-RIDE’s Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project, can adopt the AFC systems, changing the fare collection system on existing systems, and that too, heavily-used systems like the Mumbai Suburban Railway, may prove to be difficult without rebuilding the system from the ground up. Moreover, due to there being different fare classes and products (single journey tickets, return journey tickets, season tickets for first and second class, and also the luggage compartment), converting to AFC systems is all the more difficult.
The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking’s long-awaited app-based premium bus service finally hit the roads on 12 December 2022. The bus was launched at the launch event of Switch EiV22 (India’s First Electric Double Decker) at Y.B. Chavan Centre, Nariman Point. After a long gap of 12 years, BEST has finally received a new batch of Ashok Leyland buses, in the form of the EiV12. The first four of 200 buses (ordered) were deployed between Lodha Splendora, Bhayanderpada to Maker Maxity, Jio World Drive in Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). This service is managed by Chalo Mobility in association with BEST. I turned out fortunate to explore this service on Day One and present an in-depth review.
You can watch a video on this on my Youtube channel below:
Route
To begin with, this route was originally diverted via Neelkanth Greens, Vasant Vihar, Devdaya Nagar and J K Gram before entering the Eastern Express Highway. After Mithagar, Mulund (East), its next stop was directly at Equinox Business Park on LBS Marg and the route went via the Santacruz – Chembur Link Road (yes, the ride was a nightmare). The bus used to give a tour of BKC which was way too time-consuming. But it was all fixed in the same week by omitting the Thane detour and taking the bus directly through the Majiwada Flyover to Eastern Express Highway. The later part was modified by taking the BKC Connector, instead of SCLR.
Chalo Bus (Photo: GP Busfanning)
Pricing
This is not a regular bus. To understand the passenger market it serves, one needs to analyse the premium service segment served by players like MYLO, CityFlo, Kommute, etc. The intention of running it fully reserved is to ditch standing in crowded buses and thus the premium fares. The end-to-end ticket of S101 was ₹205 on the Thane – BKC route and that of S102 was ₹50 on the Bandra – BKC route. Later, there were some changes in the fare chart, so please do refer to the Chalo App for the same. Apart from one-way tickets, various bus pass plans were announced by BEST along with the first ride for free (which I utilised on my way home from BKC). There is also a trial pass to claim five long distance trips at the cost of ₹20 per trip. Your unused rides get added up on the next pass, giving an absolute value for money.
Fares on the Chalo Bus
Facilities
To serve the purpose of premium fares, these buses come with the capacity to carry 42 passengers in a 2×2 configuration. All the seats can recline up to 45° and come with a USB power outlet. The armrests are adjustable. Once a ticket is booked, a Booking ID is generated, and the live location of the bus is regularly updated. A seat can be reserved even if the bus is five minutes away and gets authenticated through the bus driver feeding it in the system.
Interiors of the Chalo Bus (Photo: GP Busfanning)
Experience
My first ride in S101 was more or less an adventure. Several passengers boarded the bus with the first ride being offered to them, for free. A staff member from Chalo was onboard, guiding both the driver about roads and passengers about the App. It took an hour for the bus to finish its BKC Tour where in LBS Marg and SCLR were waiting to welcome us with traffic congestion. After skipping the Ghatkopar flyover, our bus ran into issues as the steering felt heavy and all of a sudden, the AC stopped functioning. The driver pulled over to check the issue while passengers onboard had already begun taunting about the capacity of Electric Buses. To our luck, the issue was resolved within 10mins, and we were back on our way to Thane.
Looking at Traffic from the driver’s seat (GP Busfanning)
Conclusion
The service has great potential to expand. In a way, it can also bring the bygone AC Super Routes of BEST by covering long distances. After a hectic day, one can relax on the way home since the bus has ambient lighting that can be dimmed in the evening. More routes are considered for operating the Chalo Bus, like Thane – Powai, BKC – Kharghar and Chembur – Cuffe Parade. Some of these might be operational soon as new buses arrive in January 2023.
S101 from Thane to BKC (GP Busfanning)
It’s great to see BEST fighting back with the competitors in the premium segment but the fleet expansion for its routes is still a burning topic. The upcoming year will test BEST in its struggle for existence. More than 2,500 Buses are not delivered on one hand, while the Leyland Lynx Midi and TATA CNGs are soon going to end their shelf-life. Another route rationalization (like 1 September 2021) will be a pain for passengers.
Ashok Leyland’s Old CNG Bus vs Ashok Leyland’s Switch Electric Bus
Adding another feather in its cap, the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking will soon start premium air-conditioned buses in the city.
These new buses will be single-door electric buses manufactured by Ashok Leyland’s subsidiary Switch Mobility. Branded as Chalo Bus, they will be dark blue in colour with an orange livery. The bus will not feature any standees and commuters will have to book tickets upfront via the Chalo app. Buses will feature USB ports for charging devices, live tracking and will only stop if a reservation from the stop exists. Commuters will have subscription plans available as well as flexibility in scheduling and canceling.
As part of the first phase, four buses will hit the streets on 12 December 2022 with two routes that will run from Monday to Saturday.
Express Route: This route will run from Thane to Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) every 30 mins between 7am and 8.30am and in the reverse direction between 5.30pm and 7pm.
All-Day Route: This route will run from Bandra Station to BKC 8.50am and 5.50pm and in the reverse direction from 9.25pm to 6.25pm.
This makes BEST the first city in India to have a premium bus service that is entirely electric.
Fare for the new Chalo Bus
BEST has announced plans to launch 200 more such buses.
As of now, it is unknown which depot these buses will be housed at and whether they will be operated by Switch’s mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) subsidiary OHM Global Mobility.
I am personally disappointed by BEST’s decision to not stick to its ubiquitous red colour. The colour scheme is eerily reminiscent of BEST’s Purple Faeries. Another factor that makes me sceptical is the timings of the bus. By not operating on Sundays and restricting operations between 8am and 6pm, BEST is focusing only on one section of the userbase. If BEST is really looking at taking on cabs and auto-rickshaws, it needs to operate for longer periods and also operate on Sundays, predominantly to attract the touristy crowd.
Interestingly, a decade ago, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) experimented with its now defunct Shivneri Corporate service. It used its existing Shivneri fleet of Volvo B7Rs as a point-to-point service from Kandivali to BKC.
