The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has joined hands with Airtel Payments Bank to introduce co-branded RuPay On-The-Go cards with National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) functionality, allowing commuters to use a single open-loop card across metro systems, buses and other transit networks across the country.
The new co-branded cards, available as debit cards and prepaid payment instruments for mass transit systems (PPI-MTS), mark a significant improvement over existing DMRC-issued cards, which can only be used on the Delhi Metro network. The initiative is in line with the government of India’s One Nation, One Card vision, which aims to simplify and unify transit payments nationwide.
The cards will be made available at all DMRC stations within the next 10 days. Commuters will also be able to recharge their cards digitally at any time through the DMRC app or the Airtel app, substantially reducing the need to visit station counters for top-ups. Additionally, existing DMRC-issued cards will continue to work as before, and the corporation said it will continue to promote the sale of NCMC cards going forward.
