The open-loop National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) smart card named Kochi-1, launched jointly by Kochi Metro Rail Limited and Axis Bank and claimed to be the first of its kind in India, crossed the one-lakh milestone on Saturday.
About 30% of the cards were issued to women commuters. The metro agency had, as part of this year’s International Women’s Day, launched an offer on Kochi-1 card by waiving off issuance and recharge fees for women and students. Nearly 800 students and 3,825 women commuters availed the offer.
Kochi-1 card is a co-branded prepaid card issued at metro stations and Axis Bank branches in Kochi and has wide acceptance in transit and retail touchpoints in the city. The cards can also be used in the soon-to-be-launched Water Metro ferries, avoiding the need to have multiple travel cards. It is also accepted in over 200 private buses.
“It is heartening to see the way it has led to adoption of NCMC cards in other metro rail systems also. These cards will help metro and bus commuters, those who avail parking at metro and Water Metro stations. We want to enable acceptance in autorickshaws as well, for a complete multi-modal transit ecosystem in Kochi. This is in keeping with low carbon emission and sustainable public transport, which are our key priority areas. The Axis Bank has tied up with over 100 local merchants to offer exclusive shopping and dining offers on the card as part of hyper-local strategy,” said Alkesh Kumar Sharma, Managing Director of KMRL.
