Latest news with #SaheliCards
News18
6 days ago
- Politics
- News18
Free Bus Rides For Delhi Women, But Only If You Have This New Smart Card
The AAP-era pink ticket is on its way out as the Delhi government rolls out a smart card system to ensure free bus rides only for city residents. The Delhi government is all set to replace the popular 'pink ticket' system with smart cards called Saheli Cards. Starting from August 15, only women and transgender persons with Delhi residence proof will be eligible for free rides in public buses, as per The Indian Express. This move comes under the new BJP-led administration, which wants to ensure that only local residents benefit from welfare schemes. What Was the Pink Ticket Scheme? Introduced in 2019 by the AAP government, the pink ticket scheme allowed any woman to travel for free in DTC and cluster buses without showing any ID or proof. Now, with Saheli Cards, the government plans to tighten the process and reduce misuse. What Are Saheli Cards? There will be two types of smart cards: Non-KYC Smart Cards: Easy to get with just a valid Delhi residence proof. These will work in both buses and the Metro, but free travel applies only to buses. KYC Smart Cards: These will have your name and photo, and can be topped up like a debit card. Issued by banks, they offer contactless travel and are National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) compliant. Why This Change? CM Rekha Gupta said in her Budget speech that welfare schemes should only help Delhi residents. She accused the previous government of 'votebank politics" and said their approach led to misuse of subsidies. The new smart card system aims to reduce misuse while keeping the process smooth and digital. view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hindustan Times
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
DTC's ‘Saheli Cards' will limit free bus travel to Delhi residents
The Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) is set to roll out the 'Saheli Smart Card' to enable free bus travel for women and transgender persons in the Capital, replacing the existing 'pink ticket' system, officials said on Tuesday. The card, however, will only be available to Delhi residents, marking a major shift in eligibility criteria for the scheme. According to a tender floated by DTC, the new AFC infrastructure is part of Delhi's long-term vision to modernise and unify public transit access. (FILE) Officials said the new regulation aims to ensure accountability in the system and plug revenue leakages. Unlike the previous system, launched by the erstwhile Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led government, where all women—regardless of address—were handed pink tickets by conductors, Saheli Cards will only be issued upon submission of Delhi-based address proof and Aadhaar details. The cards, bearing the beneficiary's name and photo, must be applied for online via the DTC website and will be delivered by post. 'This is a digital reform with a targeted subsidy,' said a senior DTC official. 'Only verified Delhi residents will get Saheli Cards. The goal is to plug leakages and ensure the benefit reaches the intended recipients.' Delhi transport minister Pankaj Singh echoed the sentiment: 'After we operationalised DEVI buses, we realised that it was generating good revenue, despite free rides for women. Of the 4.8 million-odd daily commuters of DTC, just about 20% are women and making their travel free does not impact revenue much. The smart cards have been kept for residents only to streamline the registration process and make it accountable. It is a Delhi service, for the people of Delhi.' Under the previous scheme, pink tickets were issued for free in lieu of tickets when women boarded Delhi buses. Bus operators were later compensated by the government based on the number of pink tickets issued. Singh said this made the system prone to abuse. 'We conducted raids after our government came to power and found that several fake pink tickets were generated while these women did not even travel on DTC buses, just so that the government exchequer could be depleted. We want to remove this unaccountability and bring in a proper system,' he said. According to a tender floated by DTC, the new AFC infrastructure is part of Delhi's long-term vision to modernise and unify public transit access. The system will also integrate with apps developed in collaboration with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), allowing users to generate QR-code tickets, recharge their cards, and plan multimodal journeys across Delhi. HT first reported on April 4 that new smart cards will replace pink tickets for free bus rides, and that they will restrict the scheme to women who are residents of the Capital, as address proof could be required during registration. According to a tender floated by DTC, rollout is a part of a broader project to modernise fare collection through an Automated Fare Collection (AFC) system. The Saheli Card will be National Common Mobility Card (NCMC)-compliant and function on an open-loop platform, enabling usage across Delhi Metro, feeder buses, parking facilities, and even for small retail transactions. NCMC system is already in use by the Delhi Metro, Noida Metro among other transit systems. The wider rollout will be powered by over 12,000 onboard validators, QR-based ticketing, vending machines, and a clearinghouse to track transactions in real time. Cards will operate on a tap-in-tap-out model, removing the need for cash or manual ticketing, according to the tender document, which HT has accessed. Importantly, the card will be Aadhaar-seeded and linked to Delhi's residential database, meaning women and transgender persons residing in neighbouring NCR cities such as Noida, Gurugram, Ghaziabad, and Faridabad will no longer be eligible for free rides, although they can purchase the card as regular NCMC users. In addition to the Saheli Card, DTC will introduce two other NCMC-enabled cards: The first will be the 'Zero KYC Card', which will be usable across transit networks, this card will not require any identity verification, allowing fast and easy issuance. The second will be the 'Full KYC Card', which will be issued by banks after complete KYC as per RBI and UIDAI norms, this card offers the same features but with added regulatory compliance. 'These additional cards are meant to enhance public access to seamless, cashless travel, while the Saheli Card will specifically serve the state's welfare scheme,' an official said. 'Besides the card-based system, the AFC setup will also support QR code-based ticketing via mobile apps. These apps, developed in coordination with DMRC, will allow users to generate journey-specific QR codes, check their Saheli or NCMC card balance, recharge the card, and even plan multimodal routes across Delhi,' the official added. The policy shift comes amid a broader push to improve financial discipline and eliminate fraud in the scheme. In 2020-21, about 177 million pink tickets were issued. That number surged to 400 million in 2022-23. Former finance minister Atishi said in her budget speech last year that nearly 1.1 million women availed of free bus rides each day. Over five years, from 2019 to 2024, the AAP government facilitated 1.53 billion free rides for women. Despite the impressive scale, officials say the old system lacked transparency. 'The Saheli Card ensures that free rides are logged, traceable, and tied to verified users,' a transport official said. DTC currently operates 44 depots and maintains an active fleet of 3,266 buses—1,950 electric and 1,694 CNG.
Indian Express
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Soon, only women, transgender residents of Delhi will be able to travel for free in public buses
The BJP-led government is planning to replace the 'pink ticket' system introduced by the previous AAP regime for women, with smart cards – set to be known as Saheli Cards, said officials. And to avail of this facility, the women would have to furnish proof of residence, they added. According to officials, the new smart card system is likely to be implemented by August 15. The 'pink ticket' scheme was launched in 2019. Under it, any woman could travel for free on buses run by DTC and cluster bus services. Officials said that the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) has floated a tender inviting expressions of interest for empanelment from banks/financial institutions for the issuance of smart cards for travel on all types of public transport for women and transgender persons. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, in her first Budget speech, announced the government's plan to introduce smart cards, which will allow only women from Delhi to travel for free on public buses. Stating that the welfare schemes should only benefit the Delhiites, Gupta had said, 'The AAP government ran Delhi's schemes under votebank politics; this not only violated the rights of residents of Delhi but also meant benefits of schemes were extended to ineligible people… We are going to stop one thing that the previous government was doing – corruption in the name of subsidy and welfare schemes. We will do it in the transport sector too.' A senior DTC official said two types of cards are set to be issued to commuters – KYC-verified cards and non-KYC-verified cards. However, both would be compatible with the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) standard. 'Non-KYC smart cards can be used in both public buses and Delhi Metro. Any woman aged 12 and above will be eligible for the same. All they need is a valid resident proof showing that are residents of Delhi… Women and transgender persons can use this card both in buses and Metro…' 'However, while money will not be deducted while one takes a bus, while travelling in Metro, one will have to pay as per the ticketing charges… The key aim is to make travelling and ticketing hassle-free while also ensuring that only Delhi residents avail the free commuting benefits,' said a senior official. In the case of KYC-verified cards – a 'top-up' enabled personalised card with name and photograph of the cardholder – applicants would have to go through a slightly longer process. This card, also NCMC compliant, will be a 'contactless' travel card issued by banks to women, and transgender commuters. Officials said they are planning to make the cards available at Metro stations. 'DTC also plans to tie up with Metro stations, so those who want smart cards (non-KYC) can submit residential proof and get the card from the Metro stations as well…,' the official said. According to the tender issued by DTC, one must register online on the DTC portal. Cards will only be issued by banks after KYC verification. Further, according to the tender, the DTC is in the process of developing a separate web-based portal for registration of bona fide women residents of Delhi. The link of this portal shall also be shared with banks while they issue the cards, the tender document added.
