BMRCL to take at least a month to issue common mobility card

The NCMC is a debit/prepaid/credit card that enables the user to pay for travel, toll duties, retail shopping, and to also withdraw money across the country. The BMRCL (Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited) has tied up with RBL Bank for issuing the cards in the IT capital.

Unlike the usual Namma Metro smart card, the NCMC can be used at metro stations in other cities like Delhi, and Mumbai.

BMRCL managing director Anjum Parvez said: “The BMRCL is still undertaking the trials, which are in the beta stage. The NCMC will be introduced only after a month. However, the effectiveness of the NCMC can be experienced only when agencies like the BMTC, cab aggregator apps and metro stations in other cities make it compatible.”

Parvez added that the automated fare collection (AFC) gates at metro stations on the existing routes have already been retrofitted to make them compatible with the NCMC. “We have carried out the retrofitting of old gates in existing metro stations. The fare collection gates on the new routes will be compatible with the NCMC from the start,” said Parvez. He added that the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), a research and development organisation under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), has finished reviewing and testing the NCMC at the BMRCL.

However, the BMRCL has still not finalised how the cards will be rolled out and a decision on the same will be taken only after thorough consultation with experts.

Meanwhile, mobility experts argued the card will not be effective until it can be used to avail BMTC and KSRTC bus rides too.