The main reason the card hasn’t been able to catch on is that the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation, which has a daily ridership of around 3 million, is not ready to accept NCMCs on its buses.
Speaking after launching the app and card, Maharashtra Minister Aaditya Thackeray said beyond flexible commute options, the civic-run BEST was focused on digitization of services, electric buses, affordable fares, as well as the goals of using 100 per cent alternate fuels by 2027 and increasing the fleet size to 10,000 vehicles.
The feature comes handy during COVID-19 times when a new travel protocol that calls for social distancing and contactless services needs to be adhered to
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will soon launch a smart card scheme for over 40 crore unorganised workers in the country to provide them various social security benefits like insurance and pension.
With this new integration, FreeCharge will enable smart card recharges on its website, Android, iOS and Windows operating systems, allowing users to recharge on the go, it said in a statement.
The minister said unorganised workforce constitutes 93 per cent of the total workforce in the country and for them the government has already launched a host of schemes like Rashtriya Suraksha Bima Yojana and Atal Pension Yojana.
The key question is, if the next government were not actively back Aadhar, has the system created enough mass of benefits for state governments, banks, and the lay citizen to want the scheme to continue?
Gemalto, the world leader in digital security, is providing its smart card based solution to Dipon Consultancy Services Limited for their financial inclusion project in Bangladesh.
Frost & Sullivan discusses benefits of dual interface cards, as well as challenges surrounding their manufacturing process.