Bengaluru Metro National Common Mobility Card users face technical glitches; scores of transactions fail

NCMC card. PC: X/@kishore1443

Complaints are pouring in from Bengaluru Metro users over persistent glitches with the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC), launched by RBL Bank and Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL).

Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) sources said around 200 transactions failed over a 40-minute period around 9 am at several stations on November 24 alone. They added that NCMC recharges are not going through as the Ticket Office Machine (TOM) system is freezing during transactions, leading to arguments between Metro employees and NCMC users.

Many passengers have demanded that the NCMC be replaced with closed-loop CSC cards, but BMRCL officials said this is not practical. Now, there are around 65,000 active RBL-bank issued NCMC cards.

Also, read: Bengaluru Metro suspends issuance of new National Common Mobility Cards, existing users face recharge glitches

“We are now experiencing intermittent issues with NCMC recharges due to a transit payment gateway server software glitch. Our technical team, along with the AFC contractor, is now working to fix this issue,” a senior BMRCL official told Moneycontrol.

“We are also facilitating travel for affected passengers by issuing tokens. The problem is mostly experienced during peak hours. Other payment methods like closed-loop cards, QR tickets, and tokens are working normally,” the official added.

Officials also said that more NCMC cards are being issued as the Centre actively promotes them. “There has been a surge in NCMC usage because we’ve been promoting it for the past few months, and sometimes the system faces a very high load. But we cannot replace all NCMC cards with closed-loop cards,” an official said.

Passengers expressed frustration over the recurring issues. K Pradeep, a techie and regular passenger, said, “BMRCL and RBL Bank should have tested the recharge interface before launching it for citizens. It is frustrating to wait for a minute for every NCMC smart card recharge at the station’s customer care, leading to unnecessary friction between Metro commuters and staff and a poor travel experience for daily commuters.”

Kishore V, another passenger, wrote, “This card never works most of the time. I seriously don’t know who promoted this card… poor service from day one. #RBL #BMRCL. Frustration at peak levels - can’t handle simple things.” Suresh, a commuter, posted on X on November 20: “It’s been a week or more and Metro stations still can’t recharge Metro cards due to server issues. Why the delay in fixing this? Why is this issue still unresolved?”

NCMC is an interoperable transport card conceptualized by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. Enabled through the RuPay payment network, it can be used for transit, tolls, retail purchases, and more. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the first person to use the NCMC in Bengaluru during the inauguration of Whitefield-Krishnarajapura Metro section in March 2023. However, Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) is yet to accept NCMC cards.