Mumbai, Nov 6 (PTI) In a relief for women commuters, Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik on Friday extended the deadline for obtaining mandatory National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) smart cards to avail of bus fare concessions until January 1, 2027.
Sarnaik, who heads the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), said women passengers can continue to avail discounted fares on state-run buses without a smart card till December 31, 2026.
Earlier this year, the MSRTC initiated the distribution of NCMC smart cards to make travel concessions more accessible and transparent, and made them mandatory for women and senior citizens from October 1.
The minister said that the decision to extend the deadline was taken after considering requests and suggestions from various social organisations, public representatives, political leaders and ministers.
Around 1.1 crore cards had been issued and distributed so far. However, the corporation found that the registration process for many women in rural areas was incomplete, he said.
A registration drive will be conducted with the cooperation of local public representatives, passenger organisations and gram panchayat officials, and the MSRTC has set a target of completing 100 per cent registration by December 31, Sarnaik said.
MSRTC is one of the largest state-owned public transport undertakings in the country with a fleet of 15,000 buses that transport around 55 lakh passengers every day.
