The Aam Aadmi Party government is planning to introduce a common mobility card on the lines of London’s Oyster to provide seamless commuting facilities across various modes of public transport.
According to Transport Minister Gopal Rai, the government is finalising modalities related to the project that will be launched in a phased manner July onwards. “We will launch the common mobility card project on a trial basis in July this year. The card will allow users to travel in the Metro, Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses and cluster buses run by the Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System Ltd. (DIMTS),” said Mr. Rai, while adding that the government was in talks with the Delhi Metro to finalise a revenue-sharing model.
A prerequisite for the introduction of the yet-to-be-christened service is the installation of e-ticketing machines on DTC buses — both low-floor and cluster buses — which the government intends to complete by June. “As per the government’s plan, users will need to give this card to the conductor, who will swipe it on the e-ticketing machine. The process will have to be repeated by the commuter before de-boarding the vehicle. This will lead to an automatic deduction of credit from the card, similar to using the Delhi Metro,” the Minister went on to say.
A common mobility card had earlier been proposed by the Congress-led Delhi government during the Commonwealth Games, but could not take off due to technicalities related to finances.
Speaking to The Hindu in December, Mr. Rai had said that work had begun on making the promises made about overhauling the transport infrastructure in Delhi — which featured on the party’s 70-point manifesto — a reality.
