PM Modi launches 'One Nation One Card' for public transport anywhere
New Delhi : India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched a National Common Mobility Card (NCMC), which can be used to make payments across public transport anywhere in the country, including Metro, bus and suburban railways, for toll and parking, just like any credit or debit card. The card is likely to make travelling easy anytime and anywhere without carrying cash bundles.
The “One Nation One Card” model will work across the country, according to officials from the Union ministry of urban affairs who have been working on it since 2006, when it was envisaged as part of the National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP).
During the public rally in Ahmedabad, Modi also launched India’s first indigenously developed payment ecosystem for transport, consisting of NCMC, an automatic fare-collection system (AFC) called Sweekar, and a gate and card-reader system Swagat. The three together will enable the use of the national mobility card across the country without a conflict with existing point-of-sale (PoS) machines, said an official from the ministry who asked not to be named.
“It is a matter of pride that this card, based on NCMC standards is compliant with the ‘Make in India’ initiative. The gate and reader prototype has been made by government owned Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). Translating hon’ble PM’s vision of One Nation One Card it will work seamlessly across Metro, Bus rapid transit (BRT), city bus, suburban rail, parking, toll etc. All Debit/Credit Cards will be NCMC compliant,” Durga Shanker Mishra, secretary, ministry of urban affairs said.
How to get new NCMC card for public transport in India
The cards can be issued by all public and private banks the same way credit, debit, and prepaid cards are issued. “They will be on the same platform as these cards, with the same billing mechanism,” said the official cited above. “The NCMC ecosystem offers the value proposition for customers as they need not to carry multiple cards for different usage. Further, the super-quick, contactless transaction will improve the seamless experience.”
The government launched a pilot project for the NCMC ecosystem on January 31 with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).
“Under this pilot, NCMC compliant gates have been deployed at various stations of DMRC and cards have been issued by multiple banks to the users. The first-level trials have been successfully completed in collaboration with CDAC, BEL, National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), and State Bank of India,” the official added.
