Delhi’s Pink Saheli smart-card system for free bus travel by women and transgender passengers is facing glitches, awareness gaps and Aadhaar-related barriers, prompting conductors to continue issuing paper tickets despite a September 30 deadline for card-based travel.
The Delhi Transport Department has made National Common Mobility Cards (NCMC) or Pink Saheli cards necessary for passengers seeking free travel on Delhi Transport Corporation and cluster buses. However, conductors told The Hindu that cardless passengers are still being allowed to travel without paying when they are unaware of the new requirement or when their cards fail during validation.
The department has established more than 70 card-issuing centres at bus depots and Sub-Divisional Magistrate offices across the city. It said over 19 lakh women have received the cards since the Pink Saheli scheme was launched in March. The programme was announced in the previous year’s Delhi Budget and replaced the more flexible system under which women could claim free travel through paper tickets.
Conductors on multiple routes said they had been informally instructed to continue issuing paper tickets until October 10 while passengers were made aware of the change. Strict enforcement is expected after that date. A conductor on route RL-77 said regular passengers generally knew that the cards were required, while short-distance commuters were more likely to avoid applying for them because the ordinary fare could be as low as ₹5.
Technical failures are adding to the uncertainty. A conductor on route 723 said some cards were not functioning and that handheld ticketing machines displayed messages such as “check the card” or “check the validity” when passengers tapped them. In such cases, conductors continued to issue free paper tickets rather than deny travel, and advised passengers to test their cards on other buses before seeking replacements.
Passengers reported inconsistent experiences. Lata Kumari, a school teacher who has used her card for a month, said it worked on some routes but failed frequently. College student Rachna Sharma questioned the need for a smart card when passengers were still receiving paper tickets after a failed tap. She also raised concerns about personal information printed on the tickets, including the passenger’s name, and asked whether commuters would have to pay if their cards malfunctioned after enforcement began.
Eligibility rules are creating another barrier. The scheme is restricted to women and transgender residents whose Aadhaar records show a verified Delhi address. Meenakshi Rathi, a teacher living in Noida, said she had not updated her Aadhaar address because she could move from her temporary Delhi residence in the future. She said she could face a cost of ₹15 per trip once paper tickets were no longer issued.
Transgender passengers have also reported difficulties obtaining the cards. A transgender woman, speaking anonymously, said depot officials had refused applications despite the scheme explicitly including transgender persons. According to her account, officials insisted that the Aadhaar card should carry “women” rather than “Transgender” in its gender field.
The immediate question for the transport department is whether the card system, its validation equipment and frontline procedures will be ready before enforcement becomes strict. Until then, conductors remain the point of discretion for passengers whose cards do not work, whose documents do not match eligibility rules or who have not understood the new system.
