MSRTC's smart card scheme suffers glitches; commuters disappointed

In a recently released report, officials from the transport department have stated that over 40 lakh commuters have not been able to use the smart cards in the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) buses, in the state for the last six months, and the numbers have not been what they authorities expected. These cards were introduced to make commuting and services easy for the passengers, however, this is not the case in reality and adding to the existing troubles, the card renewal process has also stopped for a while.

Meanwhile, the cards which were given to the passengers of private companies have lapsed and ever since then, they have not been extended despite the grant given in August 2022. A report regarding the same was published in the Hindustan Times recently, which quoted an MSRTC officer who said, “We are still in talks with the private agencies and figuring a way out to ensure smart cards are back in use. However, this is not impacting our revenue or passenger base.”

These smart cards were announced in 2018 as per the Government Resolution (GR) which was issued as a mandate stating that the passengers with smart card services were to be given discounts and also instructed to not misuse the same. Owing to these instructions, the cards were introduced in June 2019, however, inconveniences over a long period of time, have not gone well with the commuters who have raised multiple complaints regarding the cards, be it about adding the money, difficulty using, renewal, receiving new cards, etc. As per reports, new cards are not being issued by the concerned department as of now.

Two agencies from the state were given the contract of managing the cards and the decision was taken after thorough discussion by MSRTC officials. Cards were to be issued to make commute and related services easy for students, senior citizens, etc. However, over the years, the agencies have faced extreme concerns, whereby the contract ended with one and the other went bankrupt. No further decisions were taken further related to the agencies and no official announcements were made.

Passengers have shared the convenience of using the card as it offered many benefits like using digital wallet, easy and hassle-free commute, and more. However, since this is not available now, troubles have increased again as passengers have to carry money, IDs, etc.