MSRTC Concession Tickets For Women, Senior Citizens To Be Issued Only Through NCMC Cards From September 1

Starting from September 1, women and senior citizens traveling on Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) buses will need an NCMC card to receive government fare reductions. This change will be enacted from Monday, with only those with a National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) qualifying for discounted tickets. MSRTC has registered approximately 1.11 crore passengers for these cards.

Currently, the focus is on women and senior citizens aged 65 to 75 years, who must present their NCMC card when using ST buses. Other eligible groups will be addressed later. E-Bix Technologies Ltd handles the registration and distribution process. Passengers are advised to keep their NCMC cards topped up and ready before their journey.

The corporation has distributed a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to all depots for the implementation of this new system. However, senior citizens over 75 years old, known as Amrit Seniors, will receive a temporary exemption from this rule due to difficulties during registration. Registration issues, particularly with biometric authentication, have caused delays in the process.

The Maharashtra government aims to empower nomadic and denotified communities, as stated by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde at a recent conference. MSRTC hopes this digitization will make it easier to verify eligible passengers and streamline the issuance of concessionary tickets. The corporation is encouraging those who haven't completed the registration process to contact their nearest ST depot as soon as possible to prevent any inconvenience starting Monday.