Delhi govt launches ‘Pink Saheli Smart Card’ for free bus ride for women, transgenders

The Delhi government on Sunday launched the ‘Pink Saheli Smart Card’, an initiative that enables women and transgender individuals to travel free of cost on Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and cluster buses.

Under the initiative, all women aged 12 and above, including daughters, sisters, and mothers, will be able to enjoy free travel throughout Delhi.

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Taking to X to announce the initiative, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said, “The Delhi government has launched the ‘Pink Saheli Smart Card’ for women and transgenders. Now, daughters, sisters, and mothers above 12 years of age will be able to travel free and conveniently on DTC and cluster buses.”

“This initiative is a significant step towards making travel easier for women in Delhi, promoting the use of public transport, and providing more facilities and respect to women’s power,” her X post read further.

According to the official statement, the ‘Pink Saheli Smart Card’ will be launched under the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) framework. It will provide free travel exclusively on Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and Cluster buses, while offering recharge and top-up options for use across other modes of transport. “To avail of the digital card, applicants must be bona fide residents of Delhi, aged 12 years or above, and possess valid identification proof,” the statement said.

Previously, the DTC had issued an Expression of Interest (EOI) to empanel banks for the issuance of Smart Cards for travel across all public transport systems in Delhi, as well as a dedicated Bus Travel Card for women and transgender passengers, both under the NCMC framework.

This NCMC card will be used in its NCMC-compliant AFCS project using PoS/ETIM besides other modes of public transport, said an official statement.

During the empanelment of banks and financial institutions for issuing Smart Cards, the DTC clarified that the arrangement shall be for five years.

The personalised smart card will carry the name and photograph of the cardholder. In addition to enabling free travel within the DTC and Cluster Bus network, the card will be top-up/recharge enabled, allowing its use across other transit systems as well, said the EOI issued by the public transport corporation.

The online registration for the Saheli Card is open on the official website of the Delhi government and the portal for the Saheli Card.

The Saheli Card is aimed at replacing the old paper pink ticket method, which had limitations and was prone to misuse and inefficiencies. The smart card will also ensure that benefits reach true residents. The scheme will also ensure that the scheme does not get misused by people from outside Delhi.