MUMBAI: The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) on Wednesday inaugurated the RuPay On-The-Go, NCMC-enabled smart card scheme on April 1, with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis launching the initiative to make travel more convenient, transparent and digital for various sections of society. On the occasion, NCMC smart cards were distributed to Amrutmahotsavi senior citizen Ramesh Dhaware and concession-holder women Sangita Palkar and Varsha Kamble by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, deputy chief ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar. Under the initiative, NCMC smart cards linked to Aadhaar numbers will be distributed to students, senior citizens, divyang (persons with disabilities), women and other concession-holder passengers. The cards will enable passengers to avail ST bus travel concessions more easily while making travel management more digital and transparent, said MSRTC chairman Pratap Sarnaik. Registration and distribution will take place at all depots and bus stations across the state. Registration facilities will be available at around 3,000 authorised centres. Passengers will be able to use the smart card for wallet top-ups, starting from a minimum of Rs 100. Cardholders can top up via ETIM machines on buses, the website, mobile app and authorised agents. The price of the new NCMC card has been fixed at Rs 199. “This initiative is extremely important for bringing about a digital revolution in the state’s public transport system like MSRTC. This will provide passengers with convenient, secure, and transparent services,” said Fadnavis.
