Govt procuring chips for common mobility card

People may be able to use Metro cards in buses by year end

Travelling in DTC buses using metro cards may be possible by the end of this year with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government initiating the process of procuring a specialised chip for the purpose.

Process initiated

The government is keen to extend the DMRC smart card for cluster buses to achieve the goal of a common mobility card.

With this, commuters will be able to pay bus fares using DMRC’s smart cards, said a source.

“The Transport Department has begun the process of procuring 2,000 such chips, called Secure Access Modules (SAMs), to enable real-time fare transactions on electronic ticketing machines (ETMs) already installed aboard cluster buses,” the source added.

Security factored in

The security of the system, the source explained, is based on secret keys used to authenticate transactions between the terminals and the cards. These keys are stored in the cards or tickets and into a SAM, which is a smart card installed in the equipment.

The Transport Department is also looking to add SAM cards in all ETMs to enhance security with regard to the integration and data interchange between the ticketing machines and metro smart cards.

The idea, first floated in 2010, was intended to be functional in time for the Commonwealth Games. It was expected to be the answer to London’s Oyster cards.

Now, as part of a pilot project, the department is in the process enabling the utilisation of the Delhi Metro smart card in 200 DTC buses.

As The Hindu had reported on June 6, the department intends to enable travel aboard the entire DTC fleet of 5,600 buses, which includes around 1,600 cluster buses and around 4,000 low-floor ones with a swipe of the Delhi Metro smart card, by the end of autumn this year.