PM Modi said the card runs on RuPay card and it will eliminate travel related problems (File)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated a payment card which can be used to pay transport charges across the country. Called the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC), it is the country's first indigenously developed payment system for transport.
The National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) is a bank-issued debit, credit or prepaid card which can be used for payments for all transport facilities including metro, bus, suburban railways, toll, parking, smart city and retail.
The stored value on card supports offline transaction across all travel needs with minimal financial risk to involved stakeholders. The service area feature of this card supports operator specific applications e.g. monthly passes, season tickets etc, a government release said.
Prime Minister launched the NCMC while inaugurating the first phase of the Ahmedabad metro train service yesterday.
"This card runs on RuPay card and it will eliminate all your travel related problems. Many a times, we do not have change to pay in cash while travelling in metro, bus or train, or for toll and parking. To overcome this issue, an automatic fare collection system was introduced," PM Modi was quoted by news agency PTI as saying.
He said India used to import this system from foreign countries.
"Since systems were made by different players, a card issued in one city did not work in another city. Thus, we asked various ministries, departments and even banks to resolve this issue," he said.
"Now, our dream of 'One Nation One Card' has been realised. People can also withdraw money using this Common Mobility Card. This RuPay card can be used for travelling in metros in any part of the country. In simple terms, we have merged the RuPay card with the mobility card," the prime minister added.
The card will address the challenges associated with the cash payment-- like cash handling, revenue leakages, cash reconciliation etc, the government release added.
With inputs from PTI