National Common Mobility Card fails to make a mark in Bengaluru as bus agency is not on board

NCMC

After a long delay, Bengaluru rolled out the long-pending National Common Mobility Card (NCMC), an inter-operable transport card, on March 25, 2023.

Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) and RBL Bank have been issuing NCMCs since March 30. One-and-half months on, the card is yet to become popular among passengers.

The main reason is the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), the city's lifeline, which has a daily ridership of around 3 million, is not ready to accept NCMCs on its buses yet.

"We have issued 2,784 National Common Mobility Cards so far. The average daily usage is around 380," BMRCL chief public relations officer BL Yeshwanth Chavan told Moneycontrol.

NCMC

NCMC is an inter-operable transport card conceived by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The card, which enables the user to pay for travel, toll charges and so on, is enabled through the Rupay payment mechanism.

BMRCL has a daily ridership of around 600,000. "At present, those who frequently travel to other cities are purchasing NCMC because they can use the same card in Metro systems in those cities," Chavan said.

Vivek Kalkur, a techie and public transport activist, said: "It makes no sense to purchase NCMC since other mass transit modes like buses and railways are not accepting it. Also, the same card should also be usable in transit modes in other cities. The whole purpose of NCMC is to enable passengers to use all modes, including cabs and autos, using a single card. Bengaluru has a highly tech-savvy/cashless population, but government agencies are poor at adopting new tech/solutions."

Separately, the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA), an umbrella organization that is supposed to integrate multiple government agencies and introduce initiatives like the Common Mobility Card, is still on the drawing board.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the first passenger in Bengaluru to use the NCMC, also known as One Nation-One Card, while inaugurating the Whitefield Metro (Whitefield - Krishnarajapura section) on March 25. 

RuPay launches National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) for Bengaluru Metro, powered by @rblbank. Honorable PM Shri Narendra Modi & Karnataka CM Mr. Basavaraj Bommai graced the launch, emphasizing convenience & ease of transit for commuters. #RuPay #NCMC #Transitcard https://t.co/3R1LhZYYxe

— RuPay (@RuPay_npci) March 27, 2023

Asked about BMRCL's plan to allow its users to surrender their existing Metro card and buy NCMCs, Chavan said: "We are working on this. There are some technical/legal procedures to be followed. For instance, closed-loop smart cards do not need KYC (Know Your Customer norms). We also need to follow certain guidelines to transfer the balance amount of the existing closed-loop card to NCMC." he said.

How to get an NCMC?

Officials said RuPay NCMC is available at all Metro stations and RBL Bank branches in the city. This is in addition to existing smart cards, tokens, and mobile QR tickets

"This card can be used for journeys in 'Namma Metro' as well as in other Metro systems/public transport, which are compliant with RuPay NCMC," said Chavan.

Commuters can purchase an NCMC card by submitting a minimum KYC form available at counters and paying a minimum amount of Rs 100 (Rs 50 for recharge).

Passengers can also buy a card by entering the minimum KYC details through nammametro.ongo.co.in or Namma ONGO mobile app.

"Such passengers who have received registration number can show it at Metro ticket counters without the need for filling the form at ticket counters," said Chavan.

NCMCs can be recharged at ticket counters at Metro stations or online (nammametro.ongo.co.in or Namma ONGO mobile application). The 5 percent discounted fares applicable will be applied to RuPay NCMC cards also.

Many NCMC users complained of technical glitches on social media. BMRCL officials maintain that these are teething problems.

@cpronammametro @narendramodi_in @Tejasvi_Surya There is lot of talk about NCMC Card, if one goes to get the same, the server is always busy or there is reluctance to issue... Are we really digital? @BSBommai Tried buying today at Konanakunte cross metro station. Endless wait

— सुज्ञान् बेट्टदपुर (Sugnyan Bettadapura) (@sugnyan) April 27, 2023

BMTC yet to identify a banking partner

BMTC officials said they are yet to identify a banking partner to implement NCMCs on its buses. “All our Electronic Ticketing Machines (ETMs) are capable of accepting NCMC. But identifying a banking partner for this project was delayed due to elections. We will finalise it soon,” said an official.

In March 2019, Modi unveiled the NCMC to enable travel and payment of all transit modes, parking and toll charges through a single card. However, its implementation in Bengaluru had been delayed by multiple reasons.

BMRCL officials said the NCMC can be used to shop, pay for parking and tolls as well as be integrated with other transport modes such as BMTC, Karnataka Road Transport Corporation, suburban rail, cabs and auto rickshaws in future.